London continues to amaze. I have been afforded the opportunity to visit some culturally and historically rich sites of England. These sites included Stonehenge, Westminster Abbey, and Tower of London. After all sites had been visited, I think the idea that stuck out the most to me was the idea of change. The Blue Badge Tour Guide at Westminster Abbey indicated that the church was a combination of years of ideas with no original plan. He elaborated that even though Westminster may appear to be finished, they will continue to update the architecture to fit current needs. I found this idea that they would be so willing to change the building as seen fit instead of freezing it in its current time period very unique. The openness to change was quite different than what I experienced in Stonehenge and Tower of London. Stonehenge had had an unfortunate history of vandalism before it became a much more regulated area, but as a result, Stonehenge never seems likely to change. The historical preservationist organization that cares for the structure seem to have frozen it in place with only additions and changes to infrastructure around the site. This idea seemed more normal as that has been my general experience. When going to museums like the Tower of London, the pieces within seem to be static and unlikely to ever change. The whole idea of willingness to change was extremely surprising to me, but I am glad that the people of England and its visitors will have spaces that make sense for current uses instead of outdated purposes.
West works of Westminster Abbey. Latest additions include 10 small statues above doorway.
Stonehenge: A Complete Mystery of Use
White Tower within larger Tower of London fortress
I agree with this idea of change and I to was surprised by the willingness for the constant evolution of the building. I think the idea of eclecticism is a great way to continually evolve on the buildings meaning and suitors. Great photos !!
Catherine, I too was very surprised by the notion of change pertaining to Westminster Abbey. In ruminating on the situation applied to the other sites of Tower of London and Stonehenge, it is indeed interesting to compare the three. However, I would say that the reasons for which the Tower, the Abbey, and Stonehenge are frozen versus non frozen greatly vary and are justified. The Abbey is in the process of change because it is still in use for national tradition events such as royal weddings, state funerals, and coronations, and in doing so it must continue to not serve just as a symbol of the nation’s traditions, but also for the future of the nation to come, as it is still in use. Yet, in the case of Stonehenge and the Tower of London, these are no longer utilized for their originally intended purposes and therefore instead are supposed to showcase their original purposes. In doing so, they are frozen in time per se in order to illustrate their reason for being and educate to the populace of this past history since they are no longer serving their originally intended purpose for the future.