Buildings in London that are gone now
Change is good, generally. It keeps us from stagnating. The challenge of new ideas and new ways of doing things is good for our brains and drives adaptation and innovation. It underpins our evolutionary development.
In London, despite many years of imposed austerity and economic and social decline for the general population, property developers continue to be busy, avariciously gambling on unsustainable future growth that fails to account for the exigencies of the pivotal era we live in, by which I mean, the Climate Emergency in particular, but also, the social policies that are disenfranchising the working population, the rise of nationalism and so on.
New buildings continue to be built. Futuristic office buildings and luxury apartment complexes, so beloved of international investors, but which create sterile, private spaces we are only allowed to pass through because we are monitored with extreme efficacy by the biggest CCTV network in the world. Added to this is some infrastructure development, namely the prestige project of Crossrail - the Elizabeth Line, which has cut a swathe through the West End and outwards both east and west.
Setting aside the larger social questions for a moment, I just wanted to mark the disappearance of two buildings that had a unique character, and are now gone. The first of these is a remarkable steel-clad, Brutalist building in Vauxhall owned by BT (above).
This has been replaced by a far less dramatic-looking and dismayingly typical, banal residential development, as can be seen on Street View.
On the south side of Blackfriars Bridge was a stone and steel-clad office building with 70s-style smoked glass windows. This is recently demolished and the site is currently being redeveloped. There is perhaps a possibility that what replaces is it might have some architectural merit. It is a prominent location which can be seen from across the river so it’s possible that it might be attention-seeking and quirky.
Lastly, I wanted to mark the disappearance of my favourite Chinese Takeaway restaurant, the Victory, on Mitcham Lane in Streatham. They had the best Sweet and Sour Pork, Hong Kong style, and I miss them.
The take away from all this (get it?) is that things change and that’s inevitable, but not necessarily a bad thing.
I need to say here that the world is downright unfair, both in nature and in the human world. We have been brutal and violent countless times throughout our history and continue to be a brutal species. But we shouldn’t have to be made to cope with the horrors that others impose upon us. It is their mental trauma and greed that is forced on others and can make huge numbers of lives miserable. This is what life is like for far too many people on this planet, and I really hope that one day we will stop and everyone has a chance to live well in peace and reasonable comfort.
But, while there remain whole populations who are kept in ignorance, subservience and relative destitution by damaged, power-hungry megalomaniacs in positions of power (whether leaders of governments, your boss or your parent), that sadly, isn’t very likely. Those in power are not motivated to change the current system, because exploitation and misery are too profitable and we humans have a great capacity for enduring suffering. It’s almost our default condition, but it’s also the model upon which our global economy is based. That is what has to change most of all because it cannot be sustained indefinitely. Just look at the damage we are causing to the planet. It’s the most powerful indicator there can be that this is not the best way of doing things for the good of the greatest number of people.
But, by narrowing down our focus to individuals and the day-to-day travails we all face in our relatively, or very, comfortable ‘western’ lives, there is always a path to navigate through the uncertainties and difficulties. There must be, otherwise, we would all just stop. We may lament the passing of the things we like and are comfortable with (even if they are not great for us), but new things come along and replace them, or supplement them, and that’s usually okay.
I used to resist change. I used to wallow in nostalgia and it dragged me down eventually (long story), and probably contributed to numerous episodes of depression. When things change, it can be difficult - even unpleasant, but in time a new equilibrium is reached and we find that we adapt and we can cope. That is our personal superpower and I’m slowly learning to use it as a tool to challenge the things in my life that aren’t ideal, as well as to cope a bit better with the random changes that regularly interrupt the flow. I sometimes look back and think, “why was I so worried, or upset? This new way is actually okay and I’m seeing and doing things I never thought I would.”
There are many people who are good and kind, who care and who will want to help you if you look for them. We can carry the past within us but our strength as a species is our ability to endure, adapt and make the best of things - whether that is one other person or thousands of us. We can live with that.
