Sad news from Suffolk

[Gareth Hughes]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-18476380

Bury's most distinctive secular building destroyed by fire

 

[JoceAndChris]

Terrible news, how sad.

I was just there this Feb thinking how handsome that bit was.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

There seems to be a rash of these 'accidents' to listed buildings. It is very sad to loose yet another from a street scene.

 

[tobydog]

I too walked passed this building only a few weeks back. I commented at the time on what a fantastic building it was but, looking at the deterioration of the exterior, I wouldn't have wanted to be the one signing the cheques to keep it going.

 

[Jellyfire]

The Strada restaurant who occupied it had only just reopened after a refurb a couple of weeks ago. I know that there are lots of dubious 'accidents' that happen to listed buildings, but in this case I think it's pretty unlikely a national chain of restaurants would deliberately start a fire in the kitchen on a busy Saturday night with nearly 200 customers in there! Shame to see such a lovely building destroyed.

The facade is still there (thought apparently structurally very dangerous), so hopefully at least the frontage may be restored, and the cupola may be rebuilt as its such a landmark on the skyline, though it sounds like the fabric of the building is pretty much gone.

 

[tobydog]

I'm inclined to agree. I must have seen it before it got its finishing coat of paint. The potential for this fire doesn't bear thinking about, not just in lives but also the surrrounding property given the location within the town centre.

Let's just hope that when it's rebuilt, our future generations will have the opportunity look at it in three to four hundred years time and comment on what a lovely building it is .

 

[Penners]

Oh no! I love(d) that building. I do hope it's reconstructed sensitively - although even then it will have lost the historic character imprinted into its fabric.

 

[Flyfisher]

Such a shame. The first reports I heard was that the rear of the building had collapsed, so I was hopeful that they would at least be able to save the front, but that seems doubtful in the light of this report: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-18483626

 

[robgil]

There is no such thing as an accident, just cause and effect. I did eat there once and to be honest I found it very expencive for a mediocre meal with poor service and little or no attention to detail, then again I am hard to please.
Tis a shame about the building though.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

What a tragedy.

If there is a silver lining, it's the chance that traditional craftsmen will get to demonstrate their skills as the building is hopefully faithfully reconstructed (albeit I hope with the spinkler systems that were on the BBC news this morning as being proposed for all new build houses).

 

[Penners]

There is no such thing as an accident

Then why do we have a word for it? Isn't an accident the result of 'cause and effect' where the cause is unintentional and unforeseen?

 

[robgil]

If it was caused then yes it was done deliberatly, so cannot have been an accident.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Surely the fire always had a cause - the question is whether the result was an intended consequence or not. In the latter case it coud either be negligent but unintentional or a simple unintended accident?

 

[Penners]

If it was caused then yes it was done deliberatly, so cannot have been an accident.

Every event on the planet has some kind of cause. That cause is not always intended - hence the need for the explanatory word 'accident'.

I dropped and smashed my coffee mug this morning. The cause was my accidental failure to grip it properly. I certainly didn't intend this. What am I going to have with my Kit-Kat now?

 

[Flyfisher]

If it was caused then yes it was done deliberatly, so cannot have been an accident.

Accidents are all about intent and nothing to do with cause. Many people are living proof of that.

 

[LadyArowana]

Not all accidents have negative consequences either, "serendipity" would apply then.

 

[Penners]

As opposed to "senile dippiness" - in my case.

 

[tobydog]

There's a rather dramatic looking image in the East Anglian Daily Times today. The facade is still intact but not much else. The main chimney is unstable and could go either way so that's going to be taken down brick by brick by workman hanging in a cradle.

http://www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/sebc/new/CopyPR12061901.cfm

 

[FamilyWiggs]

http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/bury_st_edmunds_workmen_start_to_dismantle_chimney_at_fire_ravaged_cupola_house_1_1417421