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Avebury
Re: The worst kind
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Littlestone wrote:
Aye.

There’s something else about the houses that’s wrong (other than being on the effing doorstep of the north-east quadrant) but the penny’s only just dropped – the houses employ a clapboard façade! Up in this neck of the woods (Essex) clapboard buildings, old and new, are all over the place but it’s hardly characteristic of Avebury.

Jeeze... :-(


For me to make any comment on this particular issue is tantamount to rushing in where angels fear to tread simply because in the past I expressed a certain amount of ambivalence about it. However, in the interest of looking at all sides of the debate I would like to point out that the issue of opening up the view to the north east approach of the henge was not relevant when the development was first known about, as we did not know that the trees that then obscured the view were deseased and would later be felled. The main issue was that the houses could be seen from the henge - especially in winter when the barrier of the copse/plantation was without leaf. Surely this is the reason clapboard has been used on the particular houses that act as a screen to the henge, that they might blend in better with the landscape.

I'm not defending the development; wouldn't want to live there even if the unlikely opportunity to do so arose. Lets just hope the people who do buy those properties (and again its worth remembering they are only five in number) care about Avebury and work towards strengthening the exisiting community.

Having said the above, I do agree in retrospect it was a lost opportunity on behalf of the National Trust to enhance the amenities at Avebury.


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tjj
Posted by tjj
18th February 2011ce
15:50

In reply to:

Re: The worst kind (Littlestone)

3 replies:

Re: The worst kind (goffik)
Re: The worst kind (goffik)
Re: The worst kind (nix)

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