Worcester and Stanage (and some architectural complaints)

What a shift in the weather! More please. Saturday night held a trip to Worcester (via Malvern) and some interesting architecture. I like it when you can see that buildings have had different functions in the past, and seeing the evidence in window shapes and closed-in doorways. It makes a change from the bizarre choices that Birmingham's town planners have made recently. FASCIAS! Let's have LOTS and LOTS of FASCIAS! Examples: Selfridges (although I like the silver buttons), The Qube (daft crisscrosses in ugly colours), and finally the new library (daft and ugly concentric circles, and truly bizarre shape). I'm starting to prefer the old wind tunnel library!

Come on town planners, Birmingham was built from BRICK. Examples: the Law Courts, the old Eye Hospital, the Custard Factory! Employ some bricklayers with talent, will you! They have even managed to destroy part of the brickwork persian carpet pattern in Centenary square to make way for a subterranean ampitheatre for the new library. Sure, it makes the skyline a bit more distinctive, but I'm not keen.

Rant over.

On Sunday, we took a trip up to Stanage Edge in the Peak District National Park for a day of climbing. (Snoozing and watching for me.) The sun was lovely, there were lots of climbers, and some very lost sheep, and it was what summer Sundays are all about. Lovely.

Have some photos:

Swirly grass in the gardens outside 'the hive'

Sandcastle outside the GOLD hive

The Sandcastle has BAT BOXES!
I did wonder if it was clever marketing for Batman...

Weird windows in Worcester

Looking out from under Stanage Edge