A bench in Bristol installed facing a brick wall has aroused local curiosity – why put it there? BBC West commented that it joined other perversely placed seating: “a bench in Shirehampton facing a derelict building … and one in Wedmore facing a hedge”. Bristol city council explained that when it plants a planned tree, the bench will provide a shady spot to rest on a steep hill, but promised to “review” the placement.
My first thought was that facing a brick wall could be meditative – I quite like staring at nothing – but my second was, “Surely York, where I live, is too beautiful to have benches with similarly terrible views?” Time for a benchmarking trip.
