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Forgive me for being negative, but it doesn't seem to me that anything that faces the public in the UK is allowed to be nice any more. Lack of funding, overze

Forgive me for being negative, but it doesn't seem to me that anything that faces the public in the UK is allowed to be nice any more. Lack of funding, overzealous safety and cost regimes, plus hooligans who will deface anything, and you have a country where everything has to be made industrial-ugly, if even made at all these days. (except for private office buildings for finance people)

taylorius 4y ago
I do know what you mean. Everything's designed to not get damaged and not cause anyone to get sued these days. Victorian buildings and vehicles on the other hand, just seem to look gorgeous by default.
- iggldiggl 4y ago
  > Victorian buildings and vehicles on the other hand, just seem to look gorgeous by default. Even a sewage pumping station: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abbey_Mills_Pumping_Station_main_building_(1)_-_2022-04-03.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abbey_Mills_Pumping_Stati... vs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_abbey_mills_pumping_station.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_abbey_mills_pumping_s...
BoxOfRain 4y ago
I know what you mean, I used to think about this as I went through the Elan Valley quite often. The Victorians dammed the valley to supply water to Birmingham and even though being in a rural part of Wales few people would see them compared to most industrial constructions they put real effort into the aesthetics and made them look stunning. If we were damming a valley today we'd build some hideous concrete monolith and call it a day without even putting a nice facade over it.
dgroshev 4y ago
It sounds true, but I'd be wary of selection bias (ugly and shoddy Victorian buildings got demolished and replaced) and glorification of old (lots of Victorian terrace houses just seem "quaint" nowadays but would not be acceptable newly built). Plus there are some good counter examples I think, Elizabeth line or Battersea reconstruction come to mind.

taylorius 4y ago

I do know what you mean. Everything's designed to not get damaged and not cause anyone to get sued these days. Victorian buildings and vehicles on the other hand, just seem to look gorgeous by default.

iggldiggl 4y ago
> Victorian buildings and vehicles on the other hand, just seem to look gorgeous by default. Even a sewage pumping station: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abbey_Mills_Pumping_Station_main_building_(1)_-_2022-04-03.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abbey_Mills_Pumping_Stati... vs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_abbey_mills_pumping_station.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_abbey_mills_pumping_s...

BoxOfRain 4y ago

I know what you mean, I used to think about this as I went through the Elan Valley quite often. The Victorians dammed the valley to supply water to Birmingham and even though being in a rural part of Wales few people would see them compared to most industrial constructions they put real effort into the aesthetics and made them look stunning. If we were damming a valley today we'd build some hideous concrete monolith and call it a day without even putting a nice facade over it.

dgroshev 4y ago

It sounds true, but I'd be wary of selection bias (ugly and shoddy Victorian buildings got demolished and replaced) and glorification of old (lots of Victorian terrace houses just seem "quaint" nowadays but would not be acceptable newly built). Plus there are some good counter examples I think, Elizabeth line or Battersea reconstruction come to mind.