London is a city of what can only be described as eclectic architecture with delightful Victorian structures standing proudly aside huge modern skyscrapers and Georgian masterpieces juxtaposed with walls of glass. For the most part it is a curious jumble of historic buildings and modern facades which strangely works and provides one of the most striking and recognisable skylines on the planet. In the midst of this success story there is, however, a monument to ugliness that blights the landscape and sadly it is positioned centre stage.
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Modernist Architecture
The South Bank Centre was evidently an attempt to vitalise national morale in the wake of the 1951 Festival of Britain. A complex of buildings in a modernist architectural style was constructed to form a cultural centre at the heart of the capital on the banks of the Thames. Whilst the cultural value of the centre cannot be denied these buildings now look anything but modern and have become simply a blot on the landscape. Definitely a case of a good heart with a very ugly skin.
Unfortunate Location
Positioned just across the river from the Houses of Parliament and with the backdrop of the Shard, the South Bank centre is most unfortunately surrounded by architectural marvels. Landmark buildings which only serve to highlight what a monstrosity the centre truly is. This place is a concrete jungle devoid of character which ruins the majesty of the river bank. I once read the words of someone else having a rant about this eyesore and they described the complex as looking like a giant carpark. That is certainly true but the place reminds me more of a hideous housing project or the segregation wing of a prison.
Functional?
You cannot even argue that the centre is functional. A maze of connected walkways and different elevations make the place awkward to navigate and create bottlenecks of people at busy times. The proximity of the centre to some of the biggest tourist attractions in the city, including the London Eye, makes it inevitable that just about every visitor to London will see the centre and I shouldn’t think many stop to take a picture!
The Future
I always believed that eventually the centre would be demolished in favour of something more attractive, and let’s face it anything would do, but now it would appear that its very hideousness may be its saving grace. So ugly and unpopular has such 50’s concrete architecture become that most examples around the country have already been demolished leaving the South Bank Centre as one of the few remaining examples of the style. Demolition is being frowned upon as the buildings are now rare and of historic interest and so a facelift looks to be the way forward. I can’t imagine what anyone thinks is worthy of preserving here because to me the only historical interest of this site are its revelations about the folly of a period of architecture which simply tried too hard not to be attractive. I know simplicity and clean lines can be beautiful but we do not have elegant Scandi chic here we are talking British blot. A vast expanse of ugly grey concrete whose inappropriate proximity to the river is causing moss growth and large cracks in the structures.
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I think a campaign is in order! If enough people register a negative opinion about the site we might actually get to see the back of it one day. The South Bank Centre is a monument to ugliness and it has got to go!
