Jonathan Meades :: Letchworth Garden City (5/5)

'Abroad Again: Heaven - Folkwoven In England' (2007)

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Travel & Events

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• Jonathan
• Meades

[woodyeckerslyke]

@neotorre I think the point of the whole piece is to say that the idea first made manifest in Letchworth came to dominate 20th century England. Letchworth is fine, but we shouldn't all be made to live there. And in particular the constant drive to look backwards (look...a visual metaphor) to reassuring nostalgia/"bucolicism" is at the expense of making sense of the present and the future. If Letchworth is for you have at it but there should be places for alternative visions of the future.

[belzondium]

@dave1995 a metaphor for the culture going backwards.

[belzondium]

@profglavin 'Suburbia' has too much of a mordant cynicism, like Meades himself. The song would have to be a sweet and escapist one like this

[profglavin]

I suspected that a Pet Shop Boys song would play over the credits, but I thought it would be 'Suburbia'. Half right, then!

[neotorre2002]

Nice touch with the guy at the end, what is Meades saying, that Letcworth hasnt worked and has people like this guy walking around with a pitbull and talking white trash. Meades nocks letchworth as this place that they tried to build as a perfect town were THAT type of people would not live, well I think this guy is an actor and the dog was rented for the day. he nocks has nothing good to say. Bet you have a nice little house in the country side with a thatched roof, Mr Meades..

[neotorre2002]

What is Meades problem? Its all so sarcastic. Is there a problem with designing a town with wide avenues tree lined streets, large open spaces warm and welcoming architecture. Perhaps Meades would be happier if we all lived in 1950's estates, with brutalistic architecture, cold and harming to those who live in in them, or have to see them day in day out. History has shown that they did not resolve any problems but created many new ones, while Letchworth Welwyn work and people like to live there

[neotorre2002]

Cant understand what meades problem is. Perhaps he prefers the estates built from the 1950's onwards, brutalist, cold and harming to society which have only provoked social problems and as time has proved, have not worked, while Letchworth or Welwyn and others have....Is there a problem with wide treelined streets, plenty of opens spaces, warm and welcoming architecture. I understand that the idea of letchworth was more than just creating a nice place to live, but why mock it?

[dave1995]

What a strange man.

Why does he drive backwards from 4:55 to 6:17? Is it because SAABs lock in reverse gear, and he's stolen it??