Why do the buildings in the UK look so old and rundown?

[JR8]

Haven't read all this but just would like to say that we in Oz would kill for some old buildings! Imagine if you will, visitors to Oz and us taking them to sight-see. Yeah sure, great beaches, amazing animals (if you can find them) but "historic" buildings....nah nah, nowt to be seen, maybe of 200 year old at the most. Plenty of parched land and gum trees though. That's usually an eye-opener for visitors. "Oh but everything looks so DRY". Yep...and so it does. Ruined castles? We'd LOVE one!

Do an Arizona, and buy a x-Thames bridge from London

[raden888]

I hear ya.. I wouldn't mind living in a castle myself.Size isn't important but a Victorian or Hapsburg facade will do.I suppose that's why I packed my bags for Europe for a few years to experience living in a medieval city.

[nakatago]

I hear ya.. I wouldn't mind living in a castle myself.Size isn't important but a Victorian or Hapsburg facade will do.I suppose that's why I packed my bags for Europe for a few years to experience living in a medieval city.

there are countries with cities that still enforce medieval societal norms: draconian laws, blind adherence to fundamentalist religious beliefs, women treated with less dignity as men and a very tight control on information.

...which is sad, actually given that this the 21st century already.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I hear ya.. I wouldn't mind living in a castle myself.Size isn't important but a Victorian or Hapsburg facade will do.I suppose that's why I packed my bags for Europe for a few years to experience living in a medieval city.

there are countries with cities that still enforce medieval societal norms: draconian laws, blind adherence to fundamentalist religious beliefs, women treated with less dignity as men and a very tight control on information.

...which is sad, actually given that this the 21st century already.

Singapore?

[raden888]

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

[nakatago]

i made no mention of any particular country nor region.

[sundaymorningstaple]

You must admit, it's a pretty apt description.

[revhappy]

I hear ya.. I wouldn't mind living in a castle myself.Size isn't important but a Victorian or Hapsburg facade will do.I suppose that's why I packed my bags for Europe for a few years to experience living in a medieval city.

there are countries with cities that still enforce medieval societal norms: draconian laws, blind adherence to fundamentalist religious beliefs, women treated with less dignity as men and a very tight control on information.

...which is sad, actually given that this the 21st century already.

Singapore?

He said Countries with Cities

[nakatago]

"oh snap!"

[sundaymorningstaple]

There's always one in every crowd!

[FlyingScotsman]

Sorry, I have to chip in here. Singapore is, for the most part, litter free thanks to the army of poor people who follow the average litter bug around. Bless these people and never forget to thank them when you see them.
However Singapore is FILTHY. Quite apart from table tops being wiped with cloths I wouldn't put near my floor for fear of introducing bubonic plague to the household, there seems to be ZERO awareness of a dimension other than flat (table top, floor) Has anyone else noticed the residue of gunk on table and chair legs? What about things above head height, or under the table top/chair seat? I have seen high chairs offered in restaurants, for babies and small children, that are so disgusting it is shameful.
There seems to be an inability to clean glass effectively too. On a trip to China one time I watched a hotel cleaner PRIDE herself in cleaning the glass doors till they shone. She then scrupulously did the low ledges and the corners. Does anybody in Singapore realise the corners are not there to collect gunk?
Public transport is dubious too. The backs of seats are getting dirtier and dirtier even in the new buses, never mind the cloth seats, hand rails and windows.
I think the areas that tourists see are kept to a fairly high standard but would the tourist be impressed with the areas we see daily? I think not...or am I just a clean freak???

[bluenose]

It is called CHARACTER
The UK has its problems, but it also has some of the most magnificent buildings in the world...
Run down....'MY ARSE'....as Jim Royle says!

[revhappy]

Sorry, I have to chip in here. Singapore is, for the most part, litter free thanks to the army of poor people who follow the average litter bug around. Bless these people and never forget to thank them when you see them.
However Singapore is FILTHY. Quite apart from table tops being wiped with cloths I wouldn't put near my floor for fear of introducing bubonic plague to the household, there seems to be ZERO awareness of a dimension other than flat (table top, floor) Has anyone else noticed the residue of gunk on table and chair legs? What about things above head height, or under the table top/chair seat? I have seen high chairs offered in restaurants, for babies and small children, that are so disgusting it is shameful.
There seems to be an inability to clean glass effectively too. On a trip to China one time I watched a hotel cleaner PRIDE herself in cleaning the glass doors till they shone. She then scrupulously did the low ledges and the corners. Does anybody in Singapore realise the corners are not there to collect gunk?
Public transport is dubious too. The backs of seats are getting dirtier and dirtier even in the new buses, never mind the cloth seats, hand rails and windows.
I think the areas that tourists see are kept to a fairly high standard but would the tourist be impressed with the areas we see daily? I think not...or am I just a clean freak???

I think you have come from Mars

[bluenose]

If you come from Scotland (flying scotsman?) it would make sense why you think it is dirty here? Scottish people(having lived there for ages) are on the whole obsessed with having clean houses, windows, cars....you name it, they want it clean....where as we londoners are not bothered on the whole as there is more important things to do other than cleaning skirting boards
Singapore is bloody clean and I think the cleanest place I have ever seen for the quantity of people that live here and I have never wanted to sit on the back of a chair here or anywhere, so being a bit dusty would not bother me
A healthy obsession with chair legs could be a good sport to get into though

[ozchick]

To my mind, Singapore is pretty damned clean. Having said though, yeah of course it could be cleaner at times, in some regard. But compared with Oz, this place is 'clean' heaven!
A trip tp a public bathroom back home in Melbourne, or the horrible airport, run-down suburban shopping centres and God forbid the disgusting public tranpsort with ground-in food, chewing-gum etc truly deters me from reccommending it to anyone. It's down-right embarrassing. I just can't get enough of Singapore in this regard.
But then of course, no salary earner back home could or would live on what the local cleaning staff accept here. That's how it's achieved and what a pity there is no other way.