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.
Posts
8 comments:
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.
see:
http://www.lovellpurbeck.com/types-of-stone/roach.aspx
for details of Purbeck Roach
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.
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.
They may have failed in Rempstone Road but Gilbert Road is looking really good and in keeping with all the older buildings.
But imagine having Mowlem Court stuck there in Gilbert Road next to the railway!
I'm sure the same was said about the art deco buildings in the 1930s
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