We’ve been on holiday, to Deal, in Kent. Deal is a very different place to Walsall- but more of that later in another post. For now, I’d like to explore one thing that makes it similar, and indeed similar to many towns in the UK.
The cottage we stayed in had a number of old photos around it, including one very similar to this:
A rather fine Victorian pile. (picture from http://www.dover-kent.com/)
I’m something of a fan of Victorian architecture, and this looked rather a superb example. I thought I recognised the site, on the seafront, next to the castle.
Here’s a view of the site from this week from a little way south:
My least favourite kind of building: a modern (1999) apartment block that attempts to ape the old one, while completely failing to carry it off and becoming a sad, bland, ugly mockery.
OK, enough of the architecture review. What does this have to do with Walsall? Well, now I’m back home and the intertubes are fast again (3G is OK, but not always what you might hope for), I’ve done some searching online, and there’s a familiar back story to this building. The full details, with pictures, are available on two pages at the excellent Dover Kent Archives site:
But to summarise: Large grand, expensive to restore Victorian building fails as a business, goes through a few changes of ownership. Is eventually sold to a property developer/builder. Gets vandalised and rots. The building is now in a poor condition, owner applies to demolish it, and permission is refused. Building mysteriously catches fire, has to be demolished.
Now do you see where I’m going with this?
Meanwhile, just down the coast in Folkestone, two magnificent old hotels are still very much unburnt: One, The Grand, is still very much in business and in very good order: sadly we missed the tour they do, making the most of the heritage, but we did have lunch there:
A read of the history page on their website is worth a read, for the story of how this ended up right next door to the just as magnificent Metropole:
Which is now appartments- and was undergoing further restoration (though in good condition) when we visited. The public rooms have held a gallery, but that doesn’t seem to be the case now. Whatever- the building is viable, in use, and being cared for. This sort of thing is possible- I’ve mentioned the Molineux Hotel before now– it’s just sad that more often than not it doesn’t.
Returning to the story of the flats in Deal, it’s worth mentioning that the developer mentions that
the demolition of the Queen’s and the development of the new flats would create jobs within the local building industry, which is now depressed.
Aaah, Those old days of the 1980s. Will we ever see their like again?
Sarcasm aside, Deal’s building trade seems to be thriving in 2011. Builders were everywhere, and none of them seemed to setting fire to anything either, which was nice.