Seven architectural blunders Web vote |  | "We live in a beautiful region, but sometimes architects, planners and developers really should think twice."
Jeremy Gould |
Inside Out looks the most hideous buildings in the South West. In a quest to identify the worst blots on the landscape, Jeremy Gould, Professor of Architecture at the University of Plymouth, presents his personal view of the 'seven architectural blunders' of the South West.
He takes viewers on a journey around the South West to look at the buildings and developments which may be necessary for our modern society, but in his opinion, should have been done differently, or not at all.
What's particularly interesting is that they are all recent developments, all built in the last few decades. Blunder busters | | Plymouth Dome - eyesore or great facility? |
Here's Jeremy Gould's seven South West architectural blunders - see if you agree with his list of blots on the landscape. * Plymouth Dome - located on one of the most beautiful promenades of the South West, this 1970s development jars when seen alongside the ancient Citadel and the well preserved Victorian seafront. * Modern housing developments - Gould visits several housing estates in Yeovil as examples of recent anonymous and characterless residential developments. * Bovey Tracey industrial estate - located close to the glorious moors, this 95 acre area of tin sheds and tarmac is hardly a substitute for the natural environment which has been removed to make way for it. | "We have a great historic tradition in the South West of making beautiful towns and villages. So why have we lost that tradition? Why do we put up with ugly ghettos like this?" | | Professor Jeremy Gould |
* Large roundabout above the River Exe - planned in the 1950s and built in the 1960s, Gould describes this as "an ugly monstrosity". * CLS Laundry Building - opened in 2002, it's important for the local economy but it doesn't look good.
* The Land's End Experience - Land's End is one of the most iconic locations on the British coast, but this themed experience got the thumbs down from our architecture expert. * Drake Circus - the new Drake Circus Shopping Centre in Plymouth city centre is a much needed new investment, but the design of this was done in the 1980s and then 'restyled', resulting in a 'pick-and-mix' of styles and materials. Jeremy Gould calls it an "insult to Plymouth... an ugly cacophony of materials that have nothing to do with either old or new Plymouth". This is a personnel view and you may agree or disagree with Professor Gould. [an error occurred while processing this directive]Links relating to this story:The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites | 
Inside Out - South West: Monday September 25, 2006
