Thursday, December 27, 2012

Ugliest Building? Monstrosity?



Betty Hewett writes in this weeks (27/12/12) Advertiser postbag:

"I have.seen many people stop and look in disbelief at the new block of flats in Rempstone Road replacing the Westbury Care Home. Why did the planning committee pass such a dreadful plan? Were they thinking that it could be entered in an 'ugliest building in Swanage competition'? It would certainly win. It doesn't fit in with surrounding buildings. A friend of mine said it was a monsttrosity, and she was right.

IMHO Betty must have blinked as she walked along Rempstone Road consequently missing the most ugly building right next door to Horizons to which she refers, called Mowlem Court, which is particularly dire when seen from the sea.
Why did the planners pass this? It doesn't fit in, she reasons.
Did Betty moan/not notice when the planners passed the two other recent structures behind the Rec? Deco, with very little Art Deco in the area, let alone other blancmange moulds in Rempstone Road; and Island View, the brick building with the plastic mock Tudor beams in the gables -I guess to reflect all the other Swanage Tudor architecture.

8 comments:

Leathwaite said...

It does look odd. I'd be interested to learn what type of stone has been used on the cladding. I don't think I've seen it used in Purbeck before. If it's not Purbeck stone, then the planners have made a big mistake; our local quarries need the business, and we need the building to look 'right' for the area.

Nickthefish said...

see:
http://www.lovellpurbeck.com/types-of-stone/roach.aspx

for details of Purbeck Roach

Nickthefish said...

I have been corrected, and it is actually Portland Stone cladding known as Portland Ashlar. It should be remembered that Portland stone seams start at Durlston Head -and if it's good enough for St Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and the Cenotaph it's probably OK for Rempstone Road.

Leathwaite said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Leathwaite said...

Thanks for the information, Nick. It doesn't appear to be the same stone as that used for the Cenotaph or St Paul's Cathedral or Buckingham Palace, but maybe the colour will change as it weathers and ages.

Anonymous said...

They may have failed in Rempstone Road but Gilbert Road is looking really good and in keeping with all the older buildings.

Anonymous said...

But imagine having Mowlem Court stuck there in Gilbert Road next to the railway!

New to the area said...

I'm sure the same was said about the art deco buildings in the 1930s