Hideous Hideous Concrete
My surroundings are very important to me. I like lots of greenery, and beautiful buildings, and hills, and heather, and lakes, and the seaside, and palm trees - - not all at once, but that's the kind of thing I like.
So it was really very stupid of me to choose to do my degree (English Literature, since you ask) at the University of Leeds, in the 1970s.
In those days the School of English was temporarily located in this vile concrete building:
"Temporary" certainly - - but the School of English was there for the whole of the three years of my degree course. I pass the building very often when I go to work at the University now, as I head down that outdoor corridor to the left of it. And I always, always hate it.
In those days the Genetics department was also in that building (hey, I'm surprised they'd even discovered genetics back then) and there was a sign on the wall that read
English
Genetics
and that annoyed me every time I saw it.
In those days the big concrete square of which this building formed a part was completely devoid of anything except concrete. Now they've tried to turn it into a little corner of the Yorkshire Dales, with some native plants:
Yes, they've tried. Though it's still hideous.
Here it is, looking a bit further to the right - -
The sun was shining. And it all still looks like Concrete Jungle.
Why, age eighteen, I didn't have enough self-knowledge to be certain that I would feel nothing but Gloom every time I clapped eyes on this place, I don't know.
I have some happy memories of my time at university, but not a single one of them is located in this building.
As for whoever designed that whole square - - well, you should be ashamed.
So it was really very stupid of me to choose to do my degree (English Literature, since you ask) at the University of Leeds, in the 1970s.
In those days the School of English was temporarily located in this vile concrete building:
"Temporary" certainly - - but the School of English was there for the whole of the three years of my degree course. I pass the building very often when I go to work at the University now, as I head down that outdoor corridor to the left of it. And I always, always hate it.In those days the Genetics department was also in that building (hey, I'm surprised they'd even discovered genetics back then) and there was a sign on the wall that read
English
Genetics
and that annoyed me every time I saw it.
In those days the big concrete square of which this building formed a part was completely devoid of anything except concrete. Now they've tried to turn it into a little corner of the Yorkshire Dales, with some native plants:
Yes, they've tried. Though it's still hideous.Here it is, looking a bit further to the right - -
The sun was shining. And it all still looks like Concrete Jungle.Why, age eighteen, I didn't have enough self-knowledge to be certain that I would feel nothing but Gloom every time I clapped eyes on this place, I don't know.
I have some happy memories of my time at university, but not a single one of them is located in this building.
As for whoever designed that whole square - - well, you should be ashamed.
posted by Daphne at 5:53 pm
6 Comments:
Sorry am I being really stupid but why did the sign
English
Genetics
annoy you?
I don't think my university (Hull) was/is any more atractive than Leeds but when the sun shone (which of course it did a lot more in those days) sitting on the steps in front of the Gulb (the Gulbenkian Theatre which is where the drama department was) it didn't seem to matter that it was a man-made nightmare of brick and concrete - life was good!
I don't remember anything about the campus of my university really....but I can picture the inside of the bars to this day! Hmmmmm wonder what that says about moi?
English Literature for me too btw. Minor in sex education and driver education. Hmmmmmm wonder what THAT says about moi! lol
It says A LOT about you, Debby. Probably why you drive me crazy, you sexy creature !
I'll post you a palm frond, Daphne.
Get Stephen to waft you with it like you're a modern day Cleopatra.
(You're on your own with the ass's milk but I'm sure if you ask at Sainsburys.....probably in Smelly Aisle)
Ruth - - no particular reason except that English and Genetics don't usually go together and whenever I saw that combination I knew I was at that vile building. Debby - my subsidiary subjects were Italian (quite fun) and Roman Civilisation (dull as hell) - - in fact my whole course was mostly DULL. Silverback - - never mind the frond, send me a whole tree! I LIKE palm trees.
Quite poetic that - English and Genetics in the same building. I wonder if there was much cross-fertilisation of ideas? Perhaps late on a Saturday night. Buildings such as that should have hatched literary giants such as F.R. Leavis, Alexander Pope and Jackie Collins... hardly the cloisters of Cambridge, more the supermarkets of Milton Keynes.
Concrete and right angles and no green don't fit well with me either Daphne. In fact I'm at this moment recuperating after three days surrounded by concrete in Wellington.
PS Why do you think Ian doesn't want us to sit next to each other on a train?
Post a Comment
<< Home