We are having a little half term break in the West. I’m not normally blown away by buildings, but there is something so special about University towns.
We sat in the cathedral this afternoon and I was stunned the stonemasonry. There was also an adjoining library that was equally as impressive.
And then of course, I was lucky enough to go and see the Clifton Suspension Bridge which is a spectacle in itself.
We did have to walk 20km and there were some mean hills. But oh, what a day.
To those dusty walls, carved with leering gargoyles,
A place where our descendants prayed or read
Or where the children went to school,
And now we’ve turned it into rooms
Where people come together in their droves
To do a Zumba class or tasting of French wines.
Use those places so they’re not torn down,
Add your patch to history, don’t ruin what was left.
I used to work for a convenience store chain that used to go and put their shops in old buildings that would otherwise have been torn down. Some people may say that it is sacrilege to repurpose an old building like that, but I really believe that it was a great thing to save these buildings.
The alternative would be to tear the buildings down and erect a flat pack shop like some of the big chains do. I hate that a lot of the time they come in and bulldoze down something beautiful to put up a great steel monstrosity.
Obviously, we need places to buy food and other services, so some old buildings will need to be used in different ways if we aren’t to run out of space. So why not keep these historical buildings and actually use them rather than board them up and leave them to rot?
In our town we had an old psychiatric hospital that was boarded up for years and they turned it into beautiful flats and town houses. They kept some of the main features of the buildings and now people can enjoy those.
I think that if it’s done right and done sympathetically, a make over of these buildings can be amazing. I love the idea of adding to the history of the these places, rather than just getting rid of them.
Does anyone else really love old buildings? Here in the UK we have The National Trust that looks after lots of old properties and you can pay a membership and go and visit them, all over the country. For me, visiting one of their houses is the perfect day out.
I don’t know where my fascination with buildings came from, but it definitely has something to do with the knowing that so many stories have played out within them over the years.
I remember driving past the old asylum in our town when I was really young. I found out what an asylum was and I became transfixed. I couldn’t believe that such horrors could have played out in my boring little town.
Parts of the building still stand and I always wonder if there are still spirits that float through the hallways. Or is it the building itself that has a personality? Is it shaped by everything that has happened inside of it?
I have always thought that buildings look a bit like people with eyes and mouths. And the older the better. The older they are, the more character and the more individual.
Once day I hope that I can live in an old cottage that’s all quirky and old. It won’t be a very good investment, but it would make me happy.
Much Love
Rachel
SubscribeFor all those extra little nuggets of wisdom
Keep up to date with the blog and other things patient and kind!
