This is not a post about Birmingham central library but a post about divination and recognising the blindingly obvious in front of you. I have read somewhere that the origin of the name of Paradise Circus was in a field there originally, as was the case for Easy Row. The sceptical nose smells a rat here: how exactly could a row be called Easy? Well I can think of several ways and I'm sceptical about anywhere with heaven or paradise in its name. Anyway, Paradise Circus is being redeveloped...again, and this has caused the hound to reflect on the recurring subject of memory and failing to learn from it.
The central library is currently in process of demolition and the former Fletcher's Walk has been opened up to provide access to Broad Street - ironically much closer to Madin's vision of wide open brutalist spaces than the area has presented for several decades.
Don't get me wrong - while I like the central library enormously it has to go since its placement is impossible and it is brutal to use as well as look at.
But I'm going to make a couple of predictions. The obvious one is that in years to come the loss of the central library will be decried as a great shame: as an architect's wet dream it is bound to be. But given the enthusiasm with which the new Paradise is being trumpeted, I'll make another - it's one step too far for the city and will be redeveloped (or repurposed) in around another twenty years. The lesson that has not been learned is that planning for now only doesn't work: today's architects could not have read the newspaper article here from 1971, it's just long enough for it to be forgotten. Otherwise they might have looked at it and realised they were repeating the same mistakes again. The reason I say Paradise won't last is that the city cannot plainly cope with more mixed use development of the same sort. Primark have just stepped in to buy the nearly empty Pavilions and a new raft of very upmarket shops has just opened at the station.
Somebody on grindr recently asked me how a witch foretells the future and I told him it was by keeping an eye on the past and the present, nothing more fancy than that.
Picture credit: http://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=30302">http://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=30302
I think you may be right. And, yes, looking into the past and present certainly saves dusting off one's crystal ball!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Did someone chop the top off a church steeple and just plop it down in Chamberlain Square?!?
Pretty much so, actually, although it's the memorial to Joseph Chamberlain and a vintage view may be seen at
ReplyDeletehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/cadburyresearchlibrary/7254698122
The magician of course doesn’t bother with that sort of thing and just looks up at the windows of the mayor's office, where Chamberlain's face has been seen many a time!