Whatever happened to the Newmarket Road graffiti?

Remember the graffiti on Newmarket Road?  I blogged about it in 2012:  Graffiti on Newmarket Road.

It looked like this:

All graffiti by the Blight Society.

Well, that's all just a memory now.  Because it's gone.

Instead, we have:

Source:  Cambridge News, Oct. 2013

What is happening on this building site?  There will be another new hotel.

One new hotel already exists, right next to the building site.  It's the new Travelodge.

Source of photo:  © Cambridge2000

The architects are Barber Casanovas Ruffles.  This firm designed a number of other buildings around Cambridge, including:

Portugal Street.  Source:  BCR

and:

Cambridge Water Company, Fulbourn Rd (Cherry Hinton - as you drive towards Tesco) Source:  BCR

This is what the architects Barber Casanovas Ruffles say about the Travelodge project on their website:

'The approved design satisfies the demands of this focal "Eastern gateway" to Cambridge City Centre and creates a vastly improved public realm with a generous new hard landscaped area to Newmarket Road.

The rigid budget hotel requirements and costings were carefully balanced with the Cambridge City's aesthetic demands.'

You know, I had no idea that Newmarket Road near the Elizabeth Way roundabout had morphed into an "Eastern gateway".  As far as I'm concerned it's still the ugliest road in Cambridge, and the worst approach to the town.  I also was unaware that Cambridge City had 'aesthetic demands'.

So I checked the Council website and discovered that yes, indeed, this area is referred to as Eastern Gate Study Area (sic).  The framework planning document does not mention the word 'aesthetic' but it does state its 'vision':

Regenerating and transforming this key approach to the city through high quality development coupled with key projects that will connect people and places.  (Eastern Gate Development Framework)

I'm very happy that somebody is devoting some tender loving care to this unlovely corner of Cambridge (somebody besides the Blight Society).  Although I do worry about the preponderance of commercial hotels.  It would be good to have a few more diverse and public spaces in the mix but given Cambridge City Council's history with disasters like the Cineworld complex or offices on the Hills Road railway bridge, I am not sanguine about any sort of imaginative urban planning.

The Travelodge sits next to where the graffiti used to be.  On the actual spot of the graffiti, there will be another new proposed hotel, a Premier Inn.

Edited to add:  An anonymous commenter (see below) pointed out to me that the new hotel will actually be on the other side of the Travelodge.  Sorry for the misleading error...!

  The Premier Inn will, apparently, look like this: 

Source:  Cambridge News June 2012

I couldn't find out the architects responsible for this hotel.  Does anyone know?


So what did people think of the loss of the graffiti?  Here's some vox pop.

And what do you think?  Are the hotels an improvement?

Related posts:

•  The murals in the tunnel under Elizabeth Way roundabout (just up the road from  the two new hotels)

•  Is there art in Arbury?  (Well, there's certainly graffiti by the Blight Society plus a Travelodge and a Premier Inn -- these two hotel chains seem to come in pairs)

•  The Snowy Farr statue (involvement from Cambridge City Council)

Have a lovely sunny April day!

Where to take family visitors: A Cambridge itinerary

My parents are visiting next week.  They've been to Cambridge many times before so I'm not going to take them to King's College and other familiar sights.  Nor are we going to do a lot of walking as they are getting just a little elderly.


Here's a possible itinerary for when parents visit:

Day 1
Jesus College, sculpture exhibition.

Barry Flanagan, Bronze Horse, Jesus College

If people have enough energy:  pop in to All Saints' Church on the way out and look at the Pre-Raphaelite decorations and stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones, William Morris and Ford Madox Brown.

Possible coffee stop at Clown's on King Street.

Day 2
Drive out to Madingley Garden.
My mother loves gardens and this recent discovery of mine is top of my list for places to visit.

Madingley Garden

If we have enough stamina, we could stop by the American War Cemetery on the way back.

But we will probably head for coffee instead --  possibly at the West Café  in the Hauser Forum on the new West Site of Cambridge University.  I discovered the West Café last month and had a lovely lunch on the outside terrace, overlooking the fields.  Added bonus:  sciencey types with ipads at all the other tables.

West Café, Hauser Forum

The Barton bike path going past the Hauser Forum

Plus, if you're on a bike:  it's a lovely bike ride to get there via the West Cambridge bike path.

Day 3
Botanic Garden.
Did I mention that my mother loves gardens?  The Botanic Garden is one of her favourites, plus we now have the fantastic new Garden Café there.  Both my mother and father love modern architecture so the award-winning Sainsbury Lab is an added draw.

Garden Café, Botanic Garden

Garden Café umbrellas and bits of the Sainsbury Lab

Day 4
If people are up for it, we may take a drive down to near Stansted and go to the Henry Moore Sculpture Park in Perry Green.  I've not been there but it looks like a nice, doable outing from Cambridge.  Nature plus art:  a good combination.

Catalogue of the Henry Moore collection at Perry Green

Local alternative (in case people don't feel like travel):

Lynn Strover Art Gallery in Fen Ditton.  This has a Bank Holiday exhibition called The Little Picure Show from  Sat-Mon, 24-26 Aug 2013.

Source:  © Lynn Strover.

Day 5
I have to pick up another family member from Luton Airport in the morning so that will eat half the day.  Perhaps we will relax afterwards and have Cream Tea at the Orchard Tea Garden in Grantchester.

Gateway Gallery, Luton Airport

Orchard Tea Garden in winter

Possible supper at Bill's on Green Street.

Day 6
A day to go punting.  Or just veg out.  Possibly finish with drinks on the roof terrace of the Varsity Hotel.

Although, if you want great views for free, just take the lift up to the top floor of the Park Street car park.  ;-p

Mural at the Newmarket Street roundabout

More ideas for a Cambridge itinerary are here at my pinterest site:  Visitors' itinerary.

Where do you take visitors?



Related blog posts:
Murals in a tunnel under a roundabout
Werewolf art at Luton Airport
Madingley series


Permalink:  http://artincambridge.blogspot.com/2013/08/where-to-take-family-visitors-cambridge.html

What art to see in Cambridge in August 2013

What's on in Cambridge in August 2013

Open Studios are over.  What now?  Well, there are still many weeks of art in summer left.  Here are my top tips for what you might like to visit and see in August:

Sculpture in the Close

Do not miss this!  I've already been twice (and a blog post is waiting in the wings).  Not only do you get to see interesting sculpture but you also get to wander round the beautiful gardens and mediaeval cloister of Jesus College, plus sit in the cool chapel with its Pre-Raphaelite glass windows.  Normally, colleges cost money or close their doors to the public -- so take this opportunity to visit for free.  

Jesus College was a nunnery before it was a college (from the 13th century).  Academics unceremoniously turfed out the women in the late 16th century; women were not re-admitted (as students) until 1979.  The sculptures are still mostly by men but there is an intriguing table installation by Doris Salcedo in the chapel, and Cornelia Parker's funny Moon Landing in the Fellows' Garden.

And if you're a tourist in Cambridge this August, even if you only have one day here:  you will love this visit to Jesus College.  Pick up a free map at the Porter's Lodge.  The useful catalogue with map and info on all sculptures, the ones in the exhibition and the permanent collection, costs only £4.

My top tip for this summer!

Jesus College, Jesus Lane

11 am - 8 pm

Ends 22 Sept 2013

Summer Show: Cacophony of Colour

To my shame, I've still not visited this gallery in Fen Ditton.  It's the perfect outing for a warm summer's day:  cycling along the lovely river path to Stourbridge Commons, with art awaiting at the end.  I promise:  once I've been, I will post about it!  Until then, let me know if you've been and what you thought.

Lynn Strover Gallery

23 High Street, Fen Ditton, CB5 8ST

Thurs-Sat 11 am - 4 pm

Ends 10 Aug

Origins of the Afro Comb

If it gets too hot for you, cool off in the air-conditioned rooms of the Afro Comb exhibition.  I went last week and was surprised at the worlds opened up:  there's an amazing video of a woman at the hairdresser's in the 1940s and how her frizzy African hair was styled into a tight 1940s perm.  There are combs going back all the way to ancient Egypt but also plastic political combs like the one with the 'black power' fist above.  Don't miss the fascinating handwritten notes by Cambridge visitors:  one woman recalls how she had to start doing her own hair as there was no African hair stylist in Cambridge, and how this takes her 7 (!) hours.  Another man remembers his father's barber shop on Mill Road, the only one in the 1960s and 70s to have afro combs.

This is about more than hair:  it's a whole history of lives and politics.

Fitzwilliam Museum, Trumpington Rd

Tues - Sat 10 am - 5 pm, Sun and Bank Hol Mon 12 noon - 5 pm

Ends 3 Nov 2013

Building Fitzwilliam College 1963-2013:  An Architectural Journey

Another opportunity to visit a college for free and wander about its grounds.  Fitzwilliam has some very interesting modern architecture; my favourite is the spiky chapel with its glass window onto nature.

Exhibition

Chapel Crypt, Fitzwilliam College, Huntingdon Rd

9 am - 5 pm

Ends 11 Oct 2013

Song Lin Zhai:  Paintings from the Pine Forest Studio

An exhibition of contemporary paintings in the East Asian tradition

With: Peter Cavalciuti, Edmund Kunji, Ann Massing, and Dominique Ruhlmann

David Sheppard Room, Trinity Hall's Wychfield Site, Storey's Way, CB3 0DZ

Sat-Sun 3-4 Aug and Sat-Sun 10-11 Aug 2013

Finally:

Romsey Art Festival

Various exhibitions and events throughout August 2013 (click on the link above for more info)

Includes:

Glass Cube Project, by Chloe Leaper at the Drawing Cube, Norfolk St (1 Aug-15 Sept 2013)

Romsey Mural Series, with Mr Penfold

Elizabeth Eade's beermats, prints and paintings at the Six Bells Pub, Covent Garden

and loads more

Enjoy these hot summer days!

Permalink:  http://artincambridge.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-art-to-see-in-cambridge-in-august.html

What's so great about the Cambridge mosque?

There's going to be a mosque in Cambridge, and it will look like this:

Controversy

This building proposal has not been universally welcomed. But what else is new?  Proposals of mosques to be built in European cities always generate controversy.

Cologne mosque controversy

Marseille mosque controversy

Warsaw mosque controversy

Speaking solely from the point of view of architecture, my view is that this building will enhance Cambridge.  And here's why:

Five reasons why this mosque is an architectural win:

1.  Worshipper-win!

Finally, a mosque!  There are 7,000 muslims in Cambridge.

By contrast, worshipper-fail:

Currently, worshippers are crammed into a converted former chapel.

2.  Welcome-win!

This development is inclusive.  The mosque welcomes people in.  Not just women, but also men.  Not just Indonesian muslims but also Pakistani muslims, Saudi muslims, Lebanese muslims, Bengali muslims, muslims of all backgrounds. 

And not just muslims, but all of us other locals.

The architects propose:

As well as the community garden, the facility will include a cafeteria with a garden terrace, a teaching zone available for everyone in the community, and room for art exhibitions and performances of various kinds. 

So: this mosque is for all of us.

By contrast, welcome-fail:

Many of the most famous Christian places of worship in Cambridge are not inclusive at all.  

For example, unless you're a card-carrying member of the University of Cambridge, you normally have to pay to get into King's College Chapel.

3.  Urban renewal-win!

In Bilbão (Spain), the Guggenheim Museum transformed the urban space around it.  In London (England), Tate Modern did a similar transformation for south of the river Thames. 

Our new mosque will transform Mill Road (Romsey area).

What the plot used to look like:

Former Robert Sayle warehouse.  Screenshot via Google Streetview.

What the plot will look like:

By contrast, urban renewal-fail:

Cambridge Leisture Centre

4.  Eco-win!

This is an eco-mosque.  It has heat pumps, water recycling and a sedum roof.

From the architects' proposal:

An innovative feature of the development is its ambition to become Britain’s first significant 'eco-mosque’' A range of sustainable features, including heat pumps, water recycling, natural ventilation and lighting, and a sedum roof, will make the structure a symbol of national excellence in environmentally-responsible engineering.

By contrast, eco-fail:

James Stirling's Faculty of History, Cambridge:  leaking roof and heating problems.

Source:  Worldarchitecturemap.org

5.  Aesthetic win!

It's beautiful, brave and bold.

Every new building should replace whatever's been there with something fabulously more beautiful.  

By contrast, beauty-fail:

Some religious communities of Cambridge have to put up with some very undistinguished architecture.

This is where the Cambridge Traditional Jewish Congregation meets:

The Cambridge Jewish Student Centre.  Photo: © Ben Harris and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

This is Barnwell Baptist Church on Howard Road (in the Abbey area of Cambridge):


Source:  barnwellbaptistchurch.org

And the Sikh community meets at the Cambridge Gurdwara which is currently based in a former pub (The Grove, Arbury Community Centre, Cambridge):

Source: cambridgegurdwara.org

So, in sum: the promised Mill Road mosque is an architectural win all round!

Posted on the occasion of the prophet Muhammad's birthday (25 Jan 2013).  

Happy Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi!  Happy Mawlid!

I'd love to hear your views on the mosque.  Comment below or tweet me!  

What:  Mosque on Mill Road, Cambridge.

Where: Site of former Robert Sayle warehouse, lower Mill Road.  Purchased by a charity headed by Yusuf Islam (the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens), in 2008. (See Public Arts Strategy, p.5).

Architects:  Marks Barfield

Other projects by these architects include the London Eye.

Garden designer:  Emma Clark. (She specialises in Islamic gardens.)

Further reading:

The Cambridge Mosque is Moving Blog

Article by Riazat Butt in The Guardian

Cambridge Mosque Public Art Delivery Plan (with all the photos and plans reproduced here, and a detailed plan) (accessed via Cambridgeshire County Council)

Tim Winter's article in Art of the Possible:  The Cambridge University Journal of Politics

Related posts:

Architecture in the Botanic Garden:  TheSainsbury Laboratory

Durga Puja: A Hindu festival comes to Cambridge






Permalink:  http://artincambridge.blogspot.com/2013/01/cambridge-mosque.html