Looking Up – Who Notices Buildings?

Most infants open their eyes to the whole world, however what they notice is soon culturally defined. They look up – until they can sit up by themselves they have little choice – and see places and objects beyond the faces looking down at them, but then they begin to notice what other people respond to, so they learn to act accordingly. The rest becomes background.

My earliest memory is of a garden, where I was placed on a rug spread by my mother. The rug, red tartan, and the twiggy hedge that released a strong smell are things which I’ve never forgotten. But everything else of my first home is lost in the mists of time, because I took no notice of it. I don’t know what that house looked like, or the second house, or the third although I have been told that one was a flat; we moved a lot.

Those who grew up living in one place will have memories of that particular building and the surrounding ones. They will be more likely to notice houses which remind them of where they lived, other styles of houses will quite possibly create a negative reaction, because of an unconscious rejection of the unfamiliar. Many buildings other than homes are often beyond their known space. They don’t use them therefore they don’t notice them.  

Salcombe and the Minton Tiles Mystery. Picture (s) of the Week, 23 August 2015.

Salcombe on the southernmost tip of Devon is a very pretty little town, but for the visitor who's already looked at the harbour, the lifeboat and the two or three small galleries there's not very much to do if you aren't really into messing about in boats! The crab sandwiches sold by local cafes are very good but not exciting enough as they don't last long.

Unexpected things do crop up though, if you look around. 


The view down Cliff Road towards Fore Street, the road

 is either narrow, or very narrow. One way traffic is in

force but anything bigger than a transit van would be in
trouble. Is this a clue to the unexpected Minton tiles?

Look up and you can see a procession of elegant corbel

supports to the overhanging roof. Described to me as a

'dental course', this row stops where it hits the doorway.

The only conclusion which can be drawn is that there

was once a one storey high front porch or lobby on

the house which has been removed, or was accidentally

demolished by a large vehicle.

Architectural detective work is fun!

Look down and just outside a front door

you can see these pretty encaustic tiles,

probably Minton, projecting out into the 

road, with the tarmac and yellow lines

beside them. This seems odd. Why would

the street be decorated with tiles usually

used indoors? The Salcombe climate may be mild, but pedestrians and vehicles

would quite probably damage them.

 

 





What changes? Albion Street, Leeds 40 years ago - Picture of the Week 21 June 2015

This is not a picture of buildings in a city centre, it's a picture of people, in a city centre. Without people, cities don't exist. Fashions in clothes will change a bit, as illustrated. In Leeds today, flares are probably even les socially acceptable than fur coats, however baby buggies are still current, as are pedestrian precincts, shoe shops and 'To Let' signs.

This photo of mine was used on the cover of the book - Planning Cities, Legacy and Portent by Architect, Author, Town Planner and Lecturer at the University of Leeds, Bill Houghton-Evans, 1975 (pub. by Lawrence and Wishart.)
Today (June 2015) if you Google 'Albion Street, Leeds' you are directed to a car park. However, the real Albion Street, Leeds, is still a pedestrian street. There are still no cars and the area is still full of shoppers, with or without flares. Does London's Oxford Street have a lesson to learn?

The Grocer's Bike - Picture of the Week 19 January 2013

I love this photograph! But I never knew I'd taken it until I was looking through a box of old prints. The grocer's bike was propped up between two hoardings in Ealing in 1972.

I won't apologise for the blurring and lack of definition in parts of the image, because I like the effect, though it's not intentional. This is an old contact print from a 2 1/4 square inch negative, shot on a Rolleicord twin lens reflex camera. The camera was borrowed, I was trying out the format. On the whole I found the camera cumbersome and frustrating, but the negative size was great. These negatives no longer exist, so this slightly blurred and atmospheric contact print is all I now have of this photograph.