Gasometers Don’t Exist
The title of this post is borrowed from an old copy of the Meccano Magazine.
But type gasometer into Wikipedia and you get redirected to gas holder. The origin of the name is given here in Wikipedia. It was supposedly coined by the Scot; William Murdoch.
But they do exist in Vienna and even have their own Metro station called Gasometer.
They are really one of the best examples of converting a redundant structure into something useful. There’s more about them here.
The last time I saw these structures, was when C and I came to a christening in Vienna. We wondered what the virtually derelict brick structures were as we took the train to the airport.
Andrew Motion Says Make Second Homes Very Expensive
It is reported that former Poet Laureate; Andrew Motion has said that second homes must be made very expensive to stop sucking the life out of villages. The full story is here in the Guardian.
I have owned and lived in two houses a couple of times in my life. At one time we were living in Cromwell Tower during the week and also had the house at Debach in Suffolk for the weekend. And then we had Les Ondes in Antibes.
I think in truth,neither arrangements worked out for C and myself, as we were incessant travellers. And fixed bases are not compatible if you want to go long distances abroad for a couple of months a year.
Before we moved to Newmarket, we were not using the house in France, but were flying everywhere in my Cessna 340A. If we hadn’t bought Les Ondes, we might have visited some of the places, I now regret we didn’t.
So my argument against second homes, is that they may look good on paper, but spending the money you save by having only one home, on say travel or something you enjoy is probably better.
Since C died, I’ve been to a few places, where she never went, that to have flown to in a light aircraft would have been fun. For a start on my cruise, there was Corunna.
There is also two other arguments against second homes.
By having a second home, you are effectively denying someone else or another family, a home. That is morally indefensible in times like these, where we don’t have enough homes.
There is also the climate change argument, in that loading a 4×4 up with half your worldly goods each weekend, isn’t a way of cutting CO2 emissions. All it does is create profits for oil companies.
I could throw in a few other arguments too, like the fact that I believe spontaneity and impulse are good for you and do you want to be involved in the various NIMBY arguments that plague the countryside.
Perhaps though, most people don’t think logically about life as I do, and they have so much money, they can’t spend it creatively.
So is Motion’s idea to make second homes more expensive is the only thing, that might curb second home ownership and put more houses on the market for those, who don’t have a nice place to live? But no government would bring in the legislation, as it would be a catastrophic vote loser. Just look at the protest, when Ryanair chopped all those routes to France a few years ago, as it cut the cheap route to second homes.
Similar arguments can also be applied to those individuals from abroad, who buy up desirable properties in the UK and leave it empty.
We need more housing and as we haven’t got the space to built much more, we must maximise our use of what we already have.
Exploring The Woolwich Station Box
Berkeley Homes had the excellent idea of having an open day to show those that wanted the inside of the new Crossrail station box at Woolwich.
It was a very professionally organised visit and we had met in the Dial Arch pub and then walked down into where in a few years, trains will be either rushing through at up to 100 kph or stopping to drop off and pick up passengers.
I have called the two ends of the box, London and Kent. The former is the western end and the next station is Canary Wharf, whereas the other is the eastern end that leads to Abbey Wood.
There are going to be some stunning pictures here, when the tunneling machines break through on their way from Plumstead to Canary Wharf.
The Wheatsheaf, Enfield Chase
The Wheatsheaf, by Enfield Chase station, is another pub, where I used to drink with my mate, Pete, like the Warwick in New Barnet.
The Wheatsheaf, Enfield Chase
Both these pubs were on the 107 bus route from where we lived at Oakwood.
If I’d walked back up the hill in the 1960s, I would have seen the local printing firm of Bennett and Starling, who were one of my father’s competitors. The site is now a littleWaitrose and some housing.
Living In The Toilet
This article on the BBC, shows how even the smallest buildings in London are being converted into homes and other uses. The opening paragraph says it all.
Converting abandoned public toilets in London into flats and businesses is providing a solution to rising property prices for some.
I don’t think it’s just about property prices. The conversions that I’ve seen both in the article and on the television, seem to be stylish and are good adverts for their designers and architects.
Remember too, that many of these buildings were very well built in the Victorian era and are still sound buildings. After all we’ve seen offices and warehouses transformed into stylish dwellings, so why not the smaller ones too?
The Case Of The Vanishing House
This tale is almost unbelievable. As it’s in the island of Ireland, you do wonder how much of it, has been given a bit of exaggeration.
On the other hand it’s on the BBC, so it must be true.
But unlike many tales of ths type, it has a sort of happy ending.
The Most Read News Item On The Crossrail Web Site
This article is the most read article on the Crossrail site.
It’s about property prices rising because of the new railway line!
It was always thus and with any sniff that their house might be worth more, people will always check.
After all, government know that the best way to get re-elected is to make sure property prices rise.
This is also why most people object to new housing developments in their area. The law of supply and demand might cause the value of their house to fall, so it’s better to be safe and sure and stop more being built.
Camden Tightens Council Tax Rules
It would appear that Camden Council are tightening the rules on Concil Tax for second and empty homes according to this BBC report.
Although, I probably wouldn’t agree with the Council on many matters, I applaud this action.
Those that are greedy and in my opinion stupid to want to live in two homes, should have to pay for the privilege.
I also think that all houses registered to companies, should pay a special surcharge on their Council Tax.
Should We Build Floating Houses?
The BBC web site muses about floating houses in this article. After all our floods, it could be one of the answers to building in areas likely to flood.
But myself, I’d prefer to live well away from water. I can’t swim and after what I’ve been through, to drown would be complete failure.
My Father’s Advice
My father always said that you never buy a house where it can flood. He never did and I haven’t. I suspect my son is fine on the high hills of Walthamstow. So he’s following the family tradition.
The only house of the seven or so, C and I lived in, that was on low-lying land, was our holiday home at Antibes. That was close to the sea, but you don’t get very high tides in the Mediterranean.
The Anonymous Widower 