Well done. What a marvellous revisit. I remember the original Nairn films. Watching with my father positively harrumphing at every pertinent point that he made. One point you haven't made though, is the arrival of "logistics" and the frantic grabbing of second rate wealth creation built on imported goods rather than home grown manufacture.
Thanks Spencer for your excellent video, which I enjoyed very much. I am a big Nairn fan and feel sure he would have liked it too for its qualities of authenticity, economy, pointedness and honour among others. Great job.
brilliant Spencer, i'm on the Nairn trail for some reason and whilst you havent' lauded him, i can see you respect him.....he went too soon.. thanks for your short film. much appreciated
I re-watched Nairn's videos just now and linked to your video, and I have to say you created a very good video but after watching this and Nairn's videos my chest aches and I am tearful at what we did to ourselves. It hurts me like the loss of someone you love. World War 2 did destroy a a lot but the planners did worse ripping up all the railways many of which we now need back, and ripping down our heritage and aesthetic beauty for 'the future'. All we got was sink estates, drugs and feral youth, depression and sense of hopelessness and loss. A place does make people and people make a place, pride is instilled, standards and economic development demanded - it all comes from the self, the society itself. We don't care and on the continent they do. The things that made the UK more economically and scientifically successful than Europe and the world, that made our societies strong and unique, all forgotten after the War. We are now in the built environment afterglow of World War 2. Classical architecture has never been bettered. Much of Continental Europe rebuilt theirs in the same style or made a nod to it. Here we keep rebuilding and never match it. The above said, the public realm works and acknowledgement of the above by many in city councils now has led to a public realm revitalisation and I no longer feel that great sense of pain inside that one did in northern cities even as recently as a few years ago. There is an effort to rebuild a better economy and built environment. It cannot be rebuilding the past now - too late for that, but it can be better than living in post-war ruins. The economic prospects for the UK look excellent, the stats from the north support this too over the last decade, but all the opportunity and money in the world isn't worth a damn if we live in the ruins of a once great civilisation. That of course will affect peoples' feelings and attitude. We took centuries to develop the tacit knowledge, infrastructure and ability to do things, that even after the war in the mighty shadow of America thereafter, even they could not do. Nairn alludes to this when he talks of the UK having the skills, knowledge, expertise etc, or something of those words, to get things right, yet we didn't. The UK still had unique scientific and infrastructure capabilites in the world, never mind Europe. We chose to ignore this, and on purpose tear down our entire legacy to ourselves. It is so depressing and even in 2019, we have not recovered, though plans for the 2020's are enormous in Manchester in particular, which is by far and away the largest economy in the north with the governance equal to the task but look how long it has taken. Even now, metaphorically speaking, Manchester is dusting itself down and rising from the ashes and I believe it will get back to its rightful place over the next 10-20 years. But what of the rest of the Northern cities outside Scotland? Time will tell. All cities outside London need mass rebuilding to re-densify them more than anything else. There are still so many car parks in city centres where now there should be shops, offices, leisure and so on. The politicians of the second half of the 20th century have a lot to answer for. Not only did they not believe in the UK, they did not believe in beauty and the legacy of British history - which should have seen more of our town and cities be beautiful. It all makes me so, so angry and there's nothing I can do about it. I just hope Nairn's lessons are learned and your video viewed too.
Excellent,thought provoking stuff.What we did in name of progress. I was inspired to watch this after reading chapter one of Pie Fidelity by Pete Brown - recommended.
Really enjoyed this. I'm a big fan of both Ian Nairn and of Barnsley (well its people, which tend to make a place) and have always toyed with the idea of revisiting some of the towns and cities that Nairn visited on his travels to compare and contrast. This video does a great job.
Thanks for the comment, Nigel. It's good to hear that you enjoyed it. I'm planning a similar video on a film Brian Glover made about Barnsley in 1976. Happy Nairn hunting!
enjoyed that ☑️ Just discovered Nairn recently (a Bob Dylan of summing up post war British architecture, new & old) & do wonder if he ever visited Scunthorpe by any chance? (my home-groan town) but can't help thinking he didn't☹️
Ian Nairn taught the interested how to assess their built environment rather than accept it uncritically as a given.What you have done is ask another question, What if the people have changed? How do you look at the ambience and function of the town then?Who do you blame?You care. Who else does?
Very good film Spencer. I have had the original film on VHS for years. It was an establishment right wing view of our town and at the time caused a lot of upset. His nauseating 'anything will do in Barnsley' smacks of 'them and us' I like the spontaneity of your content. Keep up the good work. Dave Cherry.
I think you've misinterpreted Nairn's comments there Dave. He was the antithesis of 'establishment right wing' and bemoaned that fact that places like Barnsley were sidelined by architects whose flagship developments were in bigger cities.
you could be right there Nick-looking at it that way-I remember it at the time causing a lot of controversy-perhaps it was his dire way of presentation -it would be interesting to see the new avant- garde town centre which is the opposite of those times-
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Well done. What a marvellous revisit. I remember the original Nairn films. Watching with my father positively harrumphing at every pertinent point that he made. One point you haven't made though, is the arrival of "logistics" and the frantic grabbing of second rate wealth creation built on imported goods rather than home grown manufacture.
Excellent documentary.
Thanks Spencer for your excellent video, which I enjoyed very much. I am a big Nairn fan and feel sure he would have liked it too for its qualities of authenticity, economy, pointedness and honour among others. Great job.
This is brilliant Spencer Lodge. We're off to the new market this morning. Nairn's and your words will be in my head. Thank you
brilliant Spencer, i'm on the Nairn trail for some reason and whilst you havent' lauded him, i can see you respect him.....he went too soon.. thanks for your short film. much appreciated
Thanks for this you really summed it up, Nairn would be proud of you.
Do more of these videos! Would to learn more about northern towns and cities.
Good work fella. Well put together.
Nicely constructed
I re-watched Nairn's videos just now and linked to your video, and I have to say you created a very good video but after watching this and Nairn's videos my chest aches and I am tearful at what we did to ourselves. It hurts me like the loss of someone you love. World War 2 did destroy a a lot but the planners did worse ripping up all the railways many of which we now need back, and ripping down our heritage and aesthetic beauty for 'the future'. All we got was sink estates, drugs and feral youth, depression and sense of hopelessness and loss. A place does make people and people make a place, pride is instilled, standards and economic development demanded - it all comes from the self, the society itself. We don't care and on the continent they do. The things that made the UK more economically and scientifically successful than Europe and the world, that made our societies strong and unique, all forgotten after the War. We are now in the built environment afterglow of World War 2. Classical architecture has never been bettered. Much of Continental Europe rebuilt theirs in the same style or made a nod to it. Here we keep rebuilding and never match it.
The above said, the public realm works and acknowledgement of the above by many in city councils now has led to a public realm revitalisation and I no longer feel that great sense of pain inside that one did in northern cities even as recently as a few years ago. There is an effort to rebuild a better economy and built environment. It cannot be rebuilding the past now - too late for that, but it can be better than living in post-war ruins. The economic prospects for the UK look excellent, the stats from the north support this too over the last decade, but all the opportunity and money in the world isn't worth a damn if we live in the ruins of a once great civilisation. That of course will affect peoples' feelings and attitude.
We took centuries to develop the tacit knowledge, infrastructure and ability to do things, that even after the war in the mighty shadow of America thereafter, even they could not do. Nairn alludes to this when he talks of the UK having the skills, knowledge, expertise etc, or something of those words, to get things right, yet we didn't. The UK still had unique scientific and infrastructure capabilites in the world, never mind Europe. We chose to ignore this, and on purpose tear down our entire legacy to ourselves. It is so depressing and even in 2019, we have not recovered, though plans for the 2020's are enormous in Manchester in particular, which is by far and away the largest economy in the north with the governance equal to the task but look how long it has taken. Even now, metaphorically speaking, Manchester is dusting itself down and rising from the ashes and I believe it will get back to its rightful place over the next 10-20 years. But what of the rest of the Northern cities outside Scotland? Time will tell. All cities outside London need mass rebuilding to re-densify them more than anything else. There are still so many car parks in city centres where now there should be shops, offices, leisure and so on.
The politicians of the second half of the 20th century have a lot to answer for. Not only did they not believe in the UK, they did not believe in beauty and the legacy of British history - which should have seen more of our town and cities be beautiful. It all makes me so, so angry and there's nothing I can do about it. I just hope Nairn's lessons are learned and your video viewed too.
Great little film!
Excellent,thought provoking stuff.What we did in name of progress.
I was inspired to watch this after reading chapter one of Pie Fidelity by Pete Brown - recommended.
fantastic,.
That was superb Spencer, really enjoyed that. Done so well
Really enjoyed this. I'm a big fan of both Ian Nairn and of Barnsley (well its people, which tend to make a place) and have always toyed with the idea of revisiting some of the towns and cities that Nairn visited on his travels to compare and contrast. This video does a great job.
Thanks for the comment, Nigel. It's good to hear that you enjoyed it. I'm planning a similar video on a film Brian Glover made about Barnsley in 1976. Happy Nairn hunting!
No problem at all! Looking forward to watching your next film.
Thanks for comment :-) Enjoy your trip
Think for your comment :-) Enjoy your trip
Really enjoyed this. I wish there were more updates on Nairn’s towns
This is a really good overview for those of us who have seen the Nairn video, but weren't old enough to remember the 80s
Thanks, John
1969
enjoyed that ☑️
Just discovered Nairn recently (a Bob Dylan of summing up post war British architecture, new & old)
& do wonder if he ever visited Scunthorpe by any chance? (my home-groan town)
but can't help thinking he didn't☹️
Ian Nairn taught the interested how to assess their built environment rather than accept it uncritically as a given.What you have done is ask another question, What if the people have changed? How do you look at the ambience and function of the town then?Who do you blame?You care. Who else does?
UK voted Tory and is now an afrikkan swamp
Great thought provoking video Spencer. Think it's time for an update on the councils 'Masterplan' ?
Are you coming back to Barnsley town centre? I love Nairn's programmes. He died too soon.
Go now the town centre is amazing the glass works have finished and has got a bowling place and markets inside
So much nicer now.
I was on the migration from Barnsley to Blackpool
Very good film Spencer. I have had the original film on VHS for years. It was an establishment right wing view of our town and at the time caused a lot of upset. His nauseating 'anything will do in Barnsley'
smacks of 'them and us' I like the spontaneity of your content. Keep up the good work. Dave Cherry.
Thankfully, when the bus station was built, it's no longer the case that 'anything will do for Barnsley'.
I think he was criticising that view, that an architectural practice shouldn't skimp on a project because it's going up in a town rather than a city.
Tory scum UK is. A Tory slum
I think you've misinterpreted Nairn's comments there Dave. He was the antithesis of 'establishment right wing' and bemoaned that fact that places like Barnsley were sidelined by architects whose flagship developments were in bigger cities.
you could be right there Nick-looking at it that way-I remember it at the time causing a lot of controversy-perhaps it was his dire way of presentation -it would be interesting to see the new avant- garde town centre which is the opposite of those times-