4 minute read
The streets of London
David Warr takes us by the hand - and of course, has the last word
I’d been promising myself a couple of days off the rock in August; like many Islanders, I’d not been anywhere since March 2020.
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Booking tickets and arranging accommodation (which had all become second nature) now seemed quite foreign, especially now that the word Covid is writ large on every form completed.
Covid has been - and still is - overwhelming. It’s particularly noticeable in London - a city that has survived so much death and destruction. The last spate of terror attacks had seen the construction of huge concrete and metal barriers being built on the walkway entrances to all the major bridges across the Thames, yet somehow we accept this in much the same way we happily pack away in luggage 100ml bottles of toiletries to beat the ‘terrorists’.
Somehow, Covid has taken all this ‘protection’ to a new level. It’s not just the masks and posters that are so wearying; it’s the thick blue line on many London bridges that divides pedestrians as they walk to and fro, with its accompanying message of ‘special arrangements’. I don’t think that George Orwell or Aldous Huxley in their wildest dreams could have come up such dystopian fiction, let alone this reality.
Rather than use the Tube I walked as much as possible, appreciating all the things that go to make the public spaces of London. As always, I try to picture how we in Jersey might improve our public spaces.
There’s been much talk about the need for ‘green’ spaces. Personally, I don’t believe that means creating a landscape of near indestructible, low maintenance plants combined with a square of grass and thinking ’job done!’. Too often ‘green spaces’ are seen as a cost - and not as an asset - to our community.
Walking along the Thames is special, but it’s made more special by the Victorian light stands and public benches with their incredible attention to detail. It’s so easy to install something that has lots of ‘green’ credentials but forget that great design brings enhanced enjoyment. What price public pleasure?
The quirkiest sight was a disused telephone box that had acquired a stained glass installation. It just shows what you can do with a bit of imagination and a willingness to accommodate public art.
Finally, I came across the Victoria Tower Gardens: a green haven in this vast metropolis. I have to say that our very own Millennium Park, despite being on a more modest scale, stood up well in comparison, with its considered planting and mixed use spaces. For those with no private outdoor space, these parks are an essential breath of fresh air in these troubled times.
The architecture of London is extraordinarily diverse. Unlike the homogeneity of Paris it seems no style is too outrageous. One of the most spectacular ‘set pieces’ is the Barbican Centre: a combination of concrete, green space and water, interspersed with the ancient ruins of the walls of London. It manages to retain its freshness despite being built 50 years ago.
So why have I written this postcard from London? Well, it’s really to remind us of just how important our public spaces are for those who don’t have the privilege of being surrounded by green fields or have spectacular sea views. We’re in danger of overwhelming St. Helier with super-efficient square boxes, plenty of hard landscaping and low maintenance greenery because it’s relatively cheap to do - but that misses the point.
If we learnt anything from lockdown it’s that the design of our public spaces and the buildings that surround them makes a massive difference to how we feel as a community. If we want to bring some degree of equity to our society, then we need to spend more time and money thinking about how St Helier works as an entity. The current fragmented system of a state- and parish- administered St Helier is long past its ‘sell-by’ date and is ultimately unhealthy for her citizens.
As Roger Whittaker sang: 'The streets of London - I'll show you something to make you change your mind.'
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