Winchester’s Street Scene - TrustNews September 2007
Winchester’s street scene has many blemishes. Apart from the proliferation of traffic signs, inappropriate fascia boards and shop fronts, the deplorable state of the pavements throughout the City looks awful. To these detractors must be added a number of buildings and areas whose state of repair, upkeep or decoration is a disgrace. Here are some photographs of some of the blemishes that need attention. They do not do justice to the reality of the situation,but highlight some of the problems. The whole of St George’s Street presents a dire and dismal aspect. The rears of some buildings which front on to the High Street are in many cases sadly in need of attention, particularly some of the areas where the rubbish bins stand. Some are depicted below.
Behind the Royal Oak
St George’s Street looking west
Passage off Upper Brook Street
Rear of Café Nero
UGH!
Apart from St Georges Street, there are other buildings and places which need attention. A few are shown below.
Stairwell, Friarsgate Car Park
Side door to BLUES, Southgate Street
Door case No.11, Southgate Street
BT building, Upper Brook Street
Unsightly silhouettes, The Cathedral
Unsightly extension, West Hill Cemetery
The fine front elevation of No. 47 High Street (left) above the fascia boards is a mess. The window frames are sadly in need of re-decoration and there is an ugly tangle of wires running along the bottom sill.
In addition the BT building looks as if it has not been cleaned since the introduction of the Clean Air Act in 1956. And the exterior of The Brooks is also beginning to look dirty and uncared for. All the above seriously detract from the street scene and require urgent attention.