Through The Lens #8

#8: Car Parks

This is Church Street Multi-storey car park in Watford. At the moment I took this picture, a couple were admiring the view over West Watford during a particularly pretty sunset in May 2015.

Watford suffered from the misguided 1960s town planning which struck many towns and cities across the UK. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that Watford was almost as badly affected as Coventry. But for some reason Coventry gets more attention for their ring-road oblivion. At least that's something for them to shout about. 

Church Street car park sits on the western edge of the town centre right next to the ring road, shielding St Mary's church from the traffic. As far as multi-storey car parks go, it's actually quite interesting and well designed, looking more like a model borrowed from a Gerry Anderson supermarionation show, replete with its spiralling ramp, weird concrete lantern/bandstand and moulded-concrete patterned exterior wall facing the church. It is quite pokey inside though.

To top it off, the whole building has just been painted too, which covered up the years of grime and degradation which so often makes concrete structures look that much worse. That said, it is still a car park. 

But then again, that's my point on this occasion; we often overlook our car parks as merely functional structures doing a functional thing. 

Church Street, for example, sits right in the heart of central Watford. As does the Gade Car Park and Palace Car Park on the opposite sides of the town centre. These are prime locations and actually some of the tallest structures in the town. Likewise, across many cities in the UK, central car parks tower over the central districts. This was the case in Birmingham, with its Pallasades shopping centre car park above New Street Station, just about as central as could be (it's since been pulverised and turned into a shiny John Lewis - which is how they make all John Lewises nationwide). The King William Car Park and Princesshay Car Park in Exeter were second in height only to (you guessed it) the John Lewis building…and possibly the flag poles on the cathedral towers.

Trinity Square car park in Gateshead was another example of a huge, dominating car park in a prime urban spot. It was of the more harsh grey, brutalist concrete style which springs to mind when you think "multi-storey car park". In fact, it is the epitome of a multi-storey car park. I say "is", it was demolished in 2010 and is now a John Lewis. Only joking, this one became a Tesco and was actually nominated for the Carbuncle Cup.

Car parks, therefore, are some of the most central, well placed buildings in our urban environments. They're obviously well-connected and accessible, and most of the time tower over everything else around them, providing excellent views of the town you happen to be in. But how often have you ever looked at a car park and thought "viewing platform"? We just don't see these structures as anything other than functional. Besides, if your town has an ugly car park then the best place to be is in it, so you won't have to look at it. Much like the Eiffel Tower (that joke comes courtesy of Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant).

We're on the cusp of a technological revolution in the automotive world, and these concrete colossi may well be gone within a lifetime. It's guesswork, obviously, but I am willing to predict that in 10-20 years, automated vehicles will be summoned at the tap of a button on whatever devices we have, and actual ownership will be non-existent. Instead, we will pay subscriptions in the style of Netflix or a phone contract, which will enable us to use one of a fleet of autonomous cars (electric, hydrogen, biofuel or some such power source) which just ferry people around constantly. After all, your car spends most of its life idle on a driveway or in a parking space, so it makes sense when they become fully automated, for them to just be used as and when you need it; and when you don't, someone else will be in it. 

With this in mind, what of the car park? It won't be needed, obviously. It's prime central location will look increasingly conspicuous and untenable, the sheer scale and waste of space will be too much to bear. just think of all the John Lewises there could be! (Solihull's tallest building is a John Lewis with a car park on the roof. Just for irony, I presume). 

So, make the most of our car parks. They may not all be pretty and the stairwells may smell dubious. The concrete will be grey, moulding and flakey, and it's likely there will be pigeons everywhere, but remember: they probably offer the best views around, and for free. But most importantly, it is likely that these structures, nay the entire concept of leaving your own vehicle somewhere, will be gone within your lifetime, to become a relic just like mews have become places where posh people live (see Through The Lens #7 for more on that). Stables and blacksmiths once dominated Victorian cities. When was the last time you saw a stable in your town?

The car park's day is nearly done and so, like the couple in my image above, you too should admire the views from the top floor, as the sun sets on these most 20th century of creations. 

If you've enjoyed reading this, or desperately need something to take your mind of car parks, try one of my other Through The Lens features:

Through The Lens #1
Through The Lens #2
Through The Lens #3
Through The Lens #4
Through The Lens #5
Through The Lens #6
Through The Lens #7