We’d all love to live by a classic piece of architecture.
Imagine having a bird’s eye view of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia cathedral every morning, or going to sleep whilst gazing at the lights of the Empire State Building.
The residents of a tiny Essex village called Wrabness will get to experience this feeling… but not the type of architecture they’d like to live near.
Residents living in the quiet village have been left furious after a Turner Prize-winning artist was given the go-ahead to build a ‘Disneyland’ gingerbread house.
Grayson Perry, a Turner prize-winning artist, unveiled the highly unusual fairytale plans for the home overlooking the River Stour estuary in the town.
The cross-dressing artist has caused quite a stir in the town, as he said, the house, with its gold roof and green and white patterned walls, is designed to tell the story of a mythical Essex woman called Julie and her difficult childhood, young love and career.
We can’t believe that would have gone down well…
The building, based in the heart of a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has left some in the village stunned at what they have likened to “something out of Disney Land”.
The plan for Perry’s new house development… what would you say to the guy?
Mr Perry wants rent the house out “to introduce holidaymakers to the joys of avant-garde housing”. Some have said it looks like a “ginger bread Indian temple”.
The parish council strongly objected to the knocking down of the existing farmhouse
Mr Perry admitted his initial design was carried out when he was “doodling wildly and quite drunkenly in front of the television”.
However the plans have been given the go-ahead and the home is set to be completed by 2014.
Mr Perry, who won the famous Turner Prize in 2003, said: “I have a deep fondness for Essex and I am happy to invest a large chunk of my time to a project I feel will add greatly to the cultural standing of the area.
“I wanted the building to reflect different aspects of the county, with its traditional side and with a hint of its more recent history.
“It is not a large structure and it does not seek to dominate its surroundings, but is to be discovered, with what I hope will be delight, by any of the many passers-by along the footpath.”
Although there has been support for the scheme, many are concerned about the impact it will have on the peaceful, quiet village.
Resident Pauline Marsh told the Daily Telegraph: “I think it is totally out of keeping with our beautiful estuary rather like Disneyland.
John Ager said: “I object again, as I did before, as it looks like a theme park and will spoil the area forever.
“Please see sense and reject this again – it is not all about a famous artist.”
Mark Robinson, director of the applicants, Living Architecture, said: “This has been an idea of Grayson’s for many years.
“We have had some great support from the local community and I think there are a lot of people who are excited by it.”
Eh, we don’t think so Mark…
