Pix of the day. Monday, August 21st

Richard Wyatt

I am all for nature having a bigger say in our urban jungles but what has happened on Bath’s premier approach road is not a good advert for the World Heritage centre it leads to.

These artist-designed planters on the London Road have always been controversial. Not everyone appreciated the fact they were meant to oxidise over time.

The last conservative administration was planning on moving them after complaints from motorists that they couldn’t safely join the main arterial route from side roads because the plant-filled metal boxes obscured their view.

Now B&NES is hoping they can get locals involved in maintaining the troughs and are going to clear them out.

Whether that will extend to weeding the whole length of the London Road around them remains to be seen. However, it certainly needs to be done.

I know it’s all a question of (hu)manpower and money but, maybe, the biggest obstacle to cleaning up this city is getting a sense of community back. It’s everyone for themselves these days it seems.

I am not referring to those volunteers who do such excellent work in our parks but maybe we need a voluntary ‘green army’ to get a grip on things.

The planters should not be moved. They bear carved written quotes that specifically refer to where they are.

Published by Richard Wyatt

Freelance Journalist, broadcaster, columnist and local historian. Director of Bath Newseum. Married and lives in Bath. Interested in local history, architecture and visual display in museums and urban spaces.

3 Comments

  2. Just an observation. ” Not everyone appreciated the fact they were meant to oxidise over time.” It’s interesting how “oxidise” is somehow artistic in this context and “rust” isn’t. To me they look rusty and unkempt which isn’t a good look.

  3. Thank you for the photo of the rusty planters on the London Road. I can’t believe the council are going to ask locals to weed and replant these rusty containers and around them and down the gutters were they have seeded themselves. The plants not the planters before anyone makes comments. I don’t mind the rusty boxes but they could in the first instance have been positioned further back so the you can see round them when exiting onto the London Road from Snow Hill. Now they want locals on ladders with tools and bins to weed them. Well I think this would be a hazard as they are so close to the road people would easily be knocked over by passing buses, lorries, cars and even bicycles. But at the moment they just look an eyesore. No doubt there will be many who agree as to many that don’t but that is life

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