Fatlips Castle

[auld argonian]

The idea of restoration and private ownership with consideration given to some public access is being tried experimentally over in Indiana. After the 1932 World's Fair in Chicago, a developer loaded several of the houses that were built as exhibits on boats and shipped them over Lake Michigan to the shores of Indaian where he hoped to use them as promotion for a development that he was planning. They've been there ever since and some have fallen into a state of disrepair...they have been owned by the National Park Service for a while and have been a low priority. Several years ago a program was developed to allow private parties to buy a thirty year lease from the Park service if they promised to restore the properties. To date I believe that some, but not all, have been leased and restored. There's one that I would love to get my hands on but my wife has made it VERY clear that she thinks that it would be a VERY bad idea...oh, well...

I don't know if such a program exists in the UK or if it really is viable...not too many people want to put a lot of money into restoring something that will just be taken away from them at the end of certain period of time. The cover story of the current issue of Preservation magazine touts an article on the powers that be in UK preservation having to let some historic properties that are on the sea coasts fall apart due to lack of funding...sad, but a lesson on politics and the preservation of heritage. Preservation should be a living and ongoing concern and not be the sort of emergency damage control that it, unfortunately, usually is.

It'd be great to see a restored castle serving as a living museum...but, again, money and priorities....

Don't get me started on Historic Preservation of Architecture...my wife was once quoted in a magazine article as having said that, "...Chicago has torn down more architecturally significant buildings than most cities ever had to begin with." Cash rules and developers are calling the shots. If that castle was here in the Midwest USA, a developer would, no doubt, be having it torn down to make way for a town-home development.


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AA