UNESCO threatens to remove Westminster’s status as World Heritage Site; what a metaphor for decline. This should be taken seriously — in 2021 Unesco removed Liverpool’s listing. London deserves this prize: the Palace of Westminster by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin is a masterpiece. It is classical in plan and gothic in detail, if you care; St Paul’s Cathedral is the opposite. These buildings were created by artists, and they made London look like a painting, a wonder of the world. But does it deserve to keep it?
Things fall apart slowly, then fast. For years we have watched the destruction of London’s skyline and charm. Ugly buildings are constructed along the river, not for aesthetics — are you mad? — or housing for ordinary people — who? — but for profit. We have the weakest tall buildings strategy in the world and when you look from Vauxhall to Tower Bridge you know it.
