WHO WOULD LIVE HERE?

Look at a house from the outside, and you can guess what type of people live in it. Well, perhaps this is not always true. Some people can live in unusual houses. Some people live on boats, in tree houses or in tents. For example, imagine you are in an old part of an industrial city in the UK, cities like London, Manchester, Liverpool or Newcastle. There is a river, or a canal, which was important for transport in the past, before the railways were built. There are a lot of enormous buildings near the water. They were built in the 19th century. They are enormous because people used them to store industrial goods like machines and furniture that came out of factories. But…look more closely! There are expensive cars parked outside some of these buildings.  And on the corner of the street there is a French restaurant, with a café opposite.  And just round the corner there is a shop with beautiful furniture.  And here are more shops… Who buys these things? Answer: the people who now live in these old buildings. Old warehouses like these offer two things that are difficult to find in modern houses: space, and a view. Over the past 10 years, more and more architects have turned old buildings like this into apartments, which have big rooms, high ceilings and often a terrace which looks onto the water. So, the old parts of many of Britain’s industrial cities now have a new life. They are not dead anymore, with empty warehouses and factories.  You can buy factory space and make yourself a home in it. And the people who live in them can walk or cycle to work.  Or, with so much space, they work from home with a computer and a modem! Buildings don’t always tell us about lifestyles immediately. So, next time you see an old station, a deserted church or a village school in Britain, look carefully for the clues. You may get a surprise.