I have been following with interest the Gentle Author’s campaign against what he describes as ‘the creeping plague of ghastly facadism’. It is one of those things which, once noticed, is surprisingly common, a result presumably of developers doing deals with local authorities whereby they gut properties on condition that they retain the façade.
One of the odder examples is on Commercial Road on the edge of the Mercer’s estate, where there was an odd and old-fashioned group of shops, including a fishmonger’s open to the fumes of the passing traffic. It has nearly all been demolished, apart from one half-timbered shop which scarcely seems worth the effort of preserving :-
And two façades on White Horse Road where the old bakery used to be which also don’t seem to merit the effort of preserving:-
I understand from one of their former drivers that in the case of the Commercial Cars building it is more the property owner holding the developer to ransom for maximum £s rather than façadism.
Yes, doesn’t surprise me. Charles
The Commercial Cars saga, as reported by Richard Bram, rather echoes the Spiegelhalter/Wickhams history. Strikes me that the only thing worth saving from Walls’ bakery is the smell which I associate with childhood mornings of going to pick up fresh rolls.
There was a good, if discomfiting, piece in the Guardian on ‘facadism’ by @ollywainwright some five years back bit.ly/2jjMABV