PanoptiCAN and PanoptiCAN'T

[Gayle]

I don't know where to start on this one.

Once the Panopticon is built it is 'handed' over to the council in who's area it resides. The Blackburn sign is a joke - I can't believe they didn't check the spelling! As for the maintenance - it's terrible that they haven't taken any care of it! It's dirty and needs a good clean. The railings are safe according to the council's health and safety. The railings were actually installed because of the council's health and safety department and I agree, they do detract from the design and style. As for wheelchair access, people in wheelchair's are able to get onto the structure, not just to the highest level of it which is perfectly acceptable and there are other examples where wheelchair users are unable to get to the very highest level.

In its defence - the cannon batteries were in an appalling state of repair and a dog had committed suicide by jumping off one of them - they would have been knocked down for health and safety reasons. The Panopticon repaired them and has allowed them to be kept for a while longer.

As for Burnley, in my opinion it's beautiful, it makes a wonderful eerie noise and judging by the number of people that are always up there it is doing its job.

Hyndburn has missed out big style. The Burnley design has been seen by people far and wide, it is attracting huge good publicity for Burnley and is part of the many regeneration projects going on in the town. It is attracting more money for the town and is having a positive effect.

Now I will agree that the design for Hyndburn wasn't suitable but by rejecting the whole project a whole lot more was rejected. If people had been able to say 'no' to the design but 'yes' to the principle of the thing then we could have worked with everyone to get the design that was appropriate for the town.

[grego]

I think the Burnley one looks ok but the one in Blackburn is a real eye sore.

[chav1]

that one in blackburn reminds me of blackburn royal infirmary

yellow line to x-ray
red line to casualty etc

[Wynonie Harris]

Originally Posted by Gayle

it is attracting huge good publicity for Burnley and is part of the many regeneration projects going on in the town. It is attracting more money for the town and is having a positive effect.

What's all this "huge good publicity" it's attracting? I haven't seen any sign of it. And how is it attracting more money to the town and having a "positive effect"?

[Busman747]

Originally Posted by Gayle

I don't know where to start on this one.

Once the Panopticon is built it is 'handed' over to the council in who's area it resides. The Blackburn sign is a joke - I can't believe they didn't check the spelling! As for the maintenance - it's terrible that they haven't taken any care of it! It's dirty and needs a good clean. The railings are safe according to the council's health and safety. The railings were actually installed because of the council's health and safety department and I agree, they do detract from the design and style. As for wheelchair access, people in wheelchair's are able to get onto the structure, not just to the highest level of it which is perfectly acceptable and there are other examples where wheelchair users are unable to get to the very highest level.

In its defence - the cannon batteries were in an appalling state of repair and a dog had committed suicide by jumping off one of them - they would have been knocked down for health and safety reasons. The Panopticon repaired them and has allowed them to be kept for a while longer.

As for Burnley, in my opinion it's beautiful, it makes a wonderful eerie noise and judging by the number of people that are always up there it is doing its job.

Hyndburn has missed out big style.

Firstly, Welcome back Gayle, hope that you have had an enjoyable Christmas (or should it be "Seasonal Break?" )

Willow and I didn't set out to go Panopticon bashing but it wasn't hard to criticise and extremely hard to find any positives. I will agree with you that quite a few people seem to be making their way to the "all singing" scaffolding at Burnley (four others while we were there) I must admit that it has a lure in that people want to hear it making a noise, (us included) It was quite difficult to find as it is NOT sign-posted from the main road and if you are given instructions to "turn left" into Crown Point Road you are likely to zoom past as there is only one sign and that favours the traffic from Rawtenstall rather than Burnley The rope fence is err slightly unprofessional?

As for the "Colour Fields" in Blackburn, what a waste of time and fuel!! Access is via Revidge road but again there are no signs unless you spot the large boarding actually in the park that has the designers name plastered over it. personally, had I been the designer, I would have been too embarrassed to advertise my name You say that the railings were not part of the original design, I find it incredible that a designer would expect the council to build a high open platform with no safety measures at all to prevent children, dogs or even adults from plunging to their death or serious injury, that says a lot about the designer! (P.S. Are dogs capable of commiting suicide?? )

If you had any input into persuading the council to erect this Gayle, I STRONGLY suggest that you also persuade them to send someone up there to weld the 4 nuts in place. Armed with two spanners, I could make that a deathtrap for some unsuspecting tourist in a matter of seconds So much for Health and Safety!

While we are on the subject of Health and Safety, it needs a small area at the base of the steps so that people can "regain their feet" after climbing down the steps. At the moment, they step directly onto sloping grass. It was wet and cold when we went and my youngest daughter (12) lost her footing as she stepped onto the grass and knocked my camera out of my hand as she grasped at the first available thing (me) to prevent herself falling

I totally agree with you in your comment "As for the maintenance - it's terrible that they haven't taken any care of it! It's dirty and needs a good clean." If you check back on the discussions of a Panopticon for the coppice, many accyweb members were worried that P.B. and Hyndburn Council would not be willing to cover the cost of maintenance and that anything erected would quickly fall into disrepair. Blackburn obviously do not rate their Panopticon.......and neither would Hyndburn.

[cashman]

Hyndburn has missed out big style. The Burnley design has been seen by people far and wide, it is attracting huge good publicity for Burnley and is part of the many regeneration projects going on in the town. It is attracting more money for the town and is having a positive effect -------- sorry gayle thats complete Hogwash, i certainly dont feel ive missed out big style,and do not know anyone that does, and believe me ive asked a hell of a lot.cant speak about burnley,but i know lots of buisness people in blackburn who would argue with you about attracting more money.your into that and thats fair enough,but saying Hyndburn has missed out big style is way over the top.(just a point of view)

[WillowTheWhisp]

Before we set out on Sunday Busman told a friend that we were going Panopticon hunting. He'd never heard of panopticons but rather than let Busman explain to him he tried to hazzard a guess and came up with "pan" = "a wide view like in panoramic" and "optic" = something you can see" so I suppose he wasn't far wrong. The point is he has friends in Burnley and close ties with Burnley but hadn't seen or heard of the singing ringing tree.

Yes, a few people have gone up there to look at it, us included, but how does that bring money into the town? Can you even see Burnley from up there? It was impossible to tell the day we went.

Gayle made a classic point about "Colour Fields" in Blackburn needing a clean up but who is supposed to pay for the cleaning and maintenance? Surely that is bringing more expense to the Borough, not more revenue.

Those huge hoardings at each one are a bit of an eyesore. A signpost at key points wouldn't go amiss, like on on Revidge Rd and one pointing up Revidge Rd from Preston New Rd, and in Burnley one pointing up Rossendale Rd and one pointing up Crown Point Rd.

[garinda]

A dog jumped off the battery in Corporation Park, and committed suicide?

Now that would be a piece of performance art worthy of Marcel Duchamp.

If anyone has it on video I suspect you could get Art Council funding to show it in any gallery in the UK, on a perpetual loop.

[WillowTheWhisp]

A dog jumped off and died - you'd be hard pressed to prove it was suicide. Do we know that it was depressed at the time? Or was the balance of it's mind disturbed? Do we even know if it intended to jump off? Could it perhaps have run a little too quickly and failed to stop? Was it aware how far down the ground was? Maybe it didn't even realise there was a drop.

There is one heck of a drop and a nasty steep slope. All the more reason for a nice flat area at the base of the thing.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

A dog jumped off and died - you'd be hard pressed to prove it was suicide. Do we know that it was depressed at the time? Or was the balance of it's mind disturbed? Do we even know if it intended to jump off? Could it perhaps have run a little too quickly and failed to stop? Was it aware how far down the ground was? Maybe it didn't even realise there was a drop.

There is one heck of a drop and a nasty steep slope. All the more reason for a nice flat area at the base of the thing.

Perhaps it left a message, like the IRA prisoners used to on their cell walls.

Well if a Turner Prize winner can exhibit a painting using his excrement, and Gilbert and George can sell test tubes of their urine, a doggy pooh suicide letter could be considerd quite artistic.

[Busman747]

[Ianto.W.]

Gayle In its defence - the cannon batteries were in an appalling state of repair and a dog had committed suicide by jumping off one of them - they would have been knocked down for health and safety reasons. The Panopticon repaired them and has allowed them to be kept for a while longer.

Those cannon batteries had some history behind them Gayle, they were used at the seige of Sevastopol in the Crimean War, many of the streets in Blackburn were named after the battles in the Crimean War. I doubt if streets will be named after the Panopticon.

[chav1]

Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris

What's all this "huge good publicity" it's attracting? I haven't seen any sign of it. And how is it attracting more money to the town and having a "positive effect"?

the photos speak for themselves cant you see the people queing up in their thousands with their pockets brimming with cash ready to spend

if it wasnt for willow and her family they would have probably been the only people this week if not year to actualy visit it from out of town, although i dare say they both have provided a nice spot for walkers to let their dogs urinate ( the thingies not willow and co lol )

ime fed up with arguing the obvious so in short all these things attract are vandals and dog urine

if a town wants to better its self it shoudlnt be relying on bribes to stick monstrocities in our beauty spots but should have a compatant council for starters that dosnt blow 10x the amount these people offer in bribes on getting broadway ALMOST right and mayor swearing in ceromonies at 50 thousand pounds a throw was it?

ime pretty sure the more knowledgable of our councils money wasting can throw a few more hundred thousand pounds worth of examples on money wasted that could have bettered our town

ahh cant beat a good old argument about the word i cant even remember how its spelt or even care to check how its spelt hell i cant even pronounce it

potomoa thingy - was that close ?

[katex]

I think a really good money spinner for the Singing Ringing Tree would be to manufacture small models of same to put in your garden .. might drive yer neighbours crazy, but interesting nevertheless .. anybody wish to join me in this business proposition ?

Course it could be mistaken for the neighbour from hell you have just buried.

[WillowTheWhisp]

There's probably some sort of copyright on it to stop us doing that. I wonder if they could rig one that produces energy at the same time? A singing ringing turbine? That could be handy.