Juneathon 2012 Day 6 - With Pevsner in Abbots Langley

Juneathon 2012 Day 6 - With Pevsner in Abbots Langley
Cycle - 14 miles, Time - 1hr 8min, Weather - coolish, blustery, cloudy

My cycle rides are never training rides. My aim is simply to get out, enjoy the feeling of pedalling, the sensation of speed (downhill only of course), with the chance to look around or stop at any time, i.e it is a mixture of effort and leisure. I have cycled, off and on, most of my life but have never been a sports cyclist. I don't really want my head down at all times and the thought of me being in any way aerodynamic is ludicrous.

For me the bike is a good way to explore the area and one of the things I look at is buildings. If you do this the Pevsner architectural guide is indispensable. The very first building listed is St Lawrence church Abbots Langley, which is of "exceptional architectural interest due to its Norman nave arcades and Dec s chancel chapel" (you have to get used to Pevsnerspeak). It is not far away and I enjoy being able to look at it.

The detail I am showing, however, is more about local building materials than the architectural style. The combination of chalk and flint is very common for churches in Hertfordshire (as is the chequerboard pattern). However chalk, especially when facing south west will erode, leading to repair work or a rather ugly cladding with pebble dash. All of this can be seen in the photo along with the use of Roman bricks, some of which were probably still laying around at the time the church was built.

I like the idea of buildings, in some way, reflecting the character of the county, its rocks and its history, and I like looking for it in details. I could go on but I don't want to give a full description of the church. Instead I want to use it to illustrate the point of my rides i.e. a way of looking around

2011 Streak 102/365:Messing with buildings

2011 Streak 102/365:Walking - 3 miles, time - 1hr , Weather - Sunny but with cool wind

I will make no great claims for the Civic Centre as a building. It is no masterpiece but at the same time it is not a disaster. I it is quite well proportioned and I rather like the sparing use of blue. The only real problem with the facade is griminess caused by weathering. it may not be lovely but it is OK.

It was designed in the mid 60s by Clifford Culpin  & Partners along with the heath centre and Pavillion and the judgement of Pevsner was:

The buildings as a group are disappointing; too far away from the shops, too isolated by wind-swept open space in front, while behind car parks separate them from the river.

Since that has been written the Pavillion (which was a multi-purpose arts venue) has been demolished and its site is now a grassy patch. The Civic Centre is even more isolated. 

All the more reason to treat it with some sensitivity so that it looks as good as is possible. But that is not to be. Firstly they made a mess of the front door and disabled access; and now they have decided that their need for corporate branding trumps everything else.

The Dacorum green and white is rubbish against the blue in the building and a big tin sign is completely at odds with the rest of the building. Before the name was picked out with plain blue letters fixed directly onto the wall, which was in keeping with the look of the building and much more suitable.

The reason I worry about things like this is that we rely on the council's planning department to oversea the development of the town and impose some sort of standard. But if they are not to good with their own building what hope is there for the rest?