Charles' London Architectural Journal   #4

Last month's recce involved a quickie to see the mess they've made of Grosvenor Square... the USA embassy and all. And only today, on 1st May, I read they are gonna sell it anyway. Great! They've only turfed up most of the square to turn it into some kind of Maginot Line, now they're going to sell-up anyway. But what a mess it is. It's the same in nearby Westminster, where the palace of MP's are now surrounded by a steel wall that juts out into the street. Fortifications around the Commons and Big Ben have been in continuous construction for years. Its never ending. And Downing Street, where once as a lad I could wander up to number ten and get photographed with the policeman? Well, the Street is now gated up, and patrolled with machine guns. Oh well, can't say too much, or be branded and killed by the politically correct mobsters. And so, so many of our buildings have been altered for the worst. Security guards, metal detectors. Foyers done up like airport security. I would rather modify people's behaviours, actually, rather than mess up London. Went to Buckingham Palace. At least it has so far been spared any obvious treatments... and yet makes itself an easy target, I suppose.

Otherwise, had a nice trip out to the River Wandle, and followed it's trail, and recognised it's history. Wimbledon's very own industrial revolution cranked away down here, furthered the gains of the Arts & Crafts, and polluted the area for a century. But it was delightful... Luckily, thanks to climate change, I had many a nice day out in April, including this one.

Which brings me around to the lying, swindling, ripoff legislation known as Green Taxes. These regressive taxes that let the rich amongst us do exactly what they want, because they can afford the prohibitive tax. Ok, so it's all a lie anyway: Its just another stealth tax, another reason to charge. Just like the congestion charge in London. At the same time, it's all a great excuse to restrict people's movements, and increase the controls on us, make more database statistics. Quite frankly, it all stinks, and I want it stopped. Revolution now?

Alright, maybe we wont rise up against this new order. But as we sink further into the quagmire, we can rejoice at the fact that we have got the dreaded London Olympics 2012 to look forward to. All £10 billion's worth. As Stratford gets dug up, businesses are moved on, lives are disrupted. I've not read one single good reason as to why this should be happening, and why ten billion can be found for this, instead of giving the money to the pension funds or maybe saving the NHS. No... I think the money will be wasted instead on Coe's folly, and we and the NHS will dissolve into dust. London has been too soft and we are so close to going out forever. Evil has won, and London is on the eve of destruction. The only thing needed for EVIL to prosper is for good men to do nothing. And we have done nothing. Oh well. Bye for now. Thanks for reading my journal.

And now, with our hospital buildings crumbling before us, I read that it will take as much as £800m to save the NHS. Which is amazingly just about the same cost of about half a new Trident Submarine. Or maybe a tenth of holding a rediculous Olympic Games. Or maybe a third of an Iraq War. Or even a quarter of setting up a Big brother Id database. This is stupid. I would like to see some sensible prioritising of funds. My local hospital in London STINKS. No wonder everyone is catching superbugs. There was grime everywhere. What the hell is going on??? The building was almost falling down too. Hard hats at the ready?

And so the new Wembley reopened... After 7 years without a London stadium. I am still siding with those of us that wished they had left the old stadium alone, giving it an upgrade and a polish and some tlc, and then built a new one out in a brown field site in the middle of England. We could have kept the old brilliant stadium architecture, and had two stadiums. Oh well. Too late. But I did expect the new place to fall down, such were the delays and cock ups. What a charade it's all been.

It was time to take a trip to the new King's Cross Terminal, to see how the disfigurement of the area was coming along. And indeed, they are doing a fine job, destroying the area with that flat blob of concrete bolted onto our fine victorian facade. Hiding, however, on the perimeter, is the last bastion of old architecture, a few islands of old London, in the shape of the very pleasant looking Stanley and Culross Buildings, these little brick dwellings that the Eurotunnel lowlife have been wanting to pull down for years, and have virtually had to build around, but have done everything to provoke, and board up, and discredit. How sad it all looks. The news is that these sad abandoned forsaken items have been sold down the river by the council, and will soon be on their way to architectural hell. Oh well, best be bulldozed now rather than suffer any more abuse. How they would love to vent the same violence upon the local natural park, that still stands defiant against the dust and stench from the rail works. Not forgetting the dismantled Gasometers. It's all sad mess...

Better news for the Battersea Arts Centre, a nice old building that had suffered threats of closure in its life, and had just seemingly fended off another one, and secured its future. How the developers have always wanted to get their hands on this little beauty, but it looks like its gonna be around for a bit longer. The Arts mob have looked after this place, and have not made many changes to the structure and interior, which still looks rather original. The facade is astounding, and the Grand Ballroom ironwork is nicely restored, and I must congratulate those artsy fartsy people for fighting for this great architecture, and for putting this place to proper use. BAC is in safe hands, which is nice to know.

Not so good news for the Hammersmith Palais, which seems to be on the way to biting the dust. It would be easy to save such old historic places for the world, but, just like the NHS, it's not to the government's interest. NuLabour plc are against anything worthy or traditional, and are all nasty little traitors in my eyes. Just like Red Ken, or indeed most governments of the last 60 years. Oh, and the European super-state. It's all the destruction of London by a slow deadly, sickening virus. Where is our champion???