Trees and the city - 2

"The Chelsea Barracks masterplan set out to create traditional Belgravia garden square living with an unprecedented five acres of Central London green space". It also claims to be "the most significant development in Central London for decades, combining state of the art contemporary living in a historic setting, but is also the most sustainable development in Europe, and one of only 16 developments in the world to reach this standard" i.e. LEED Platinum. I'm sure that the residences of this development cost an arm and a leg, and possibly a kidney too. So, I wondered as we walked by the edge of these wonderful homes, what's with the big metal tree?

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Former Congregational Chapel, Monmouth

What to do with old buildings that no longer fulfill their original purpose has always been something of a problem. Something of an answer, more often than not, involves converting them to housing. I've seen windmills, water mills, factories, pubs, hospitals, prisons, maltings, breweries, warehouses, post offices, and many other kinds of building converted to single or multiple occupancy housing. The Congregational Chapel, Glendower Street, Monmouth, is an example of a religious building that has become housing (in 2002). It was built in the town's backstreets in 1843-4, in the classical style, by William Armstrong of Bristol. The facade has been sympathetically painted  and only the palms, the absence of an information board, the name-plate "Glendower House" and the blocked ground floor windows, give a hint that it is no longer a place of worship.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100