Gaudí’s musical Spanish house
An amazing chance find on a recent visit to Northern Spain. Who knew that Antonio Gaudi’s first house was built in Comillas, a lovely seaside town, a place once favoured by the Spanish royal family? [...]
From Prefab to Container Living
Prefabs were supposed to be a short-term fix to the housing crisis after the second world war, a life of around 10 years until housing could be more permanently sorted. They needed to be constructed [...]
Housing and music
Hearing a piece of music can bring memories of time and place, and there is plenty of music about housing. Let’s start with a YouTube gritty backdrop to East London Ghettos. We are told here: “There [...]
Beamish: a grand day out
Beamish could easily be a sentimental view of a past golden age – but refreshingly, it isn’t. Beamish is one of those places that once you hear about, you keep hearing about. It’s located near [...]
Grenfell Tower
This time last week no one could have started to imagine the horrific housing nightmare that would unfold. Grenfell Tower caught fire which rapidly spread and numerous people tragically lost their lives. Buildings should be designed [...]
Life aboard: canal and river moorings
Sometimes it’s hard to know what stimulates an interest in something for us, but for me in my childhood I am also certain that what introduced me to canals was not just living near to [...]