John Oram's photos with the keyword: Desuetude

The long term abandonment of commercial property in town centres is a sin against society and the installation of a fence like the one seen here, an offence to all sensibilities. The property thus degraded is the former Post Office at 117 West Street, Fareham which closed more than three years ago and has gradually deteriorated. It is by no means the only vacant property in Fareham and is soon to be joined by at least one other with the forthcoming closure of TSB. Pictures by me from 19 April 2019 and 4 March 2016 show how it was previously. The accompanying narrative is, I think, worth a read. 200_4_P1000801CE

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. 200_3_P1110230RM

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. 200_3_P1110232EM

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. This is a spin-off from the main series with a cultural reference which will resonate with slightly older viewers. 200_3_P1110236EM_T

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. 200_3_P1110236EM

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. 200_3_P1110234EM

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. In this picture, the improbably placed wheelbarrow makes an interesting counterpoint to the sorrow of the foreground. 200_3_P1110231EM

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. 200_3_P1110228M

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. 200_3_P1110228E

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. In this picture, the improbably placed wheelbarrow makes an interesting counterpoint to the sorrow of the foreground. 200_3_P1110231E

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. 200_3_P1110236E

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. 200_3_P1110234E

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. 200_3_P1110232E

The BP petrol station in Forton Road, Gosport closed about four years ago and the partially cleared site has since been hidden by hoardings. Recently, I noticed that the hoardings, now themselves in poor condition, have been damaged, presumably by recent high winds, thus making it possible to get some slightly poignant pictures. I made a mini-project of it with images in colour and b&w which I hope my followers will enjoy. 200_3_P1110230R

There is an intended irony in the content and title of this picture. A retail cancer is spreading through our towns and cities and the vectors are the business models of the 21st century, the greed and intransigence of landlords, the indolence of local authorities and their failure to set business rates at a level which nurtures small businesses. In Lee on Solent, which has hitherto fared better than some other south coast locations, the disease has spread from High Street to the nearby Marine Parade West. Beneath the faded Marine Court Mansions sits a terrace of a shops in which these three at the east end stand empty or useless. The optimistically named Revitalise is no more than yet another charity shop sandwiched between the vacant Waves of Inspiration, provocatively located where there are none and another empty store, a corner plot with substantial floor space. It is notable that the managing agents invariably have phone numbers with distant STD codes so that they have, in all probability, little or no knowledge of the location or the potential of the property. A rare geotagging fail for ipernity. The Didi Berry Physiotherapy Clinic is along the length of (the perpendicular) Pier Street and on the opposite side. TZ70_P1000217C

This picture serves not to highlight a specific case but, rather, the more general case of the blight on our high streets. You will note that I used the plural in my title. I first photographed this disused retail property, at 141-143 High Street, Lee on Solent on 24 February 2019 . Four months is a small part of the many years it has been empty and decaying. I took a closer look at it this morning after noticing that the estate agents boards had gone from the outside (see my earlier post). In addition to the visible vegetation on the first floor, the ground floor too is something of a garden such is the extent to which water has entered the building. It would appear that work took place at one time to prepare for a conversion of the property from its original use as the interior features what might euphemistically be called 'exposed brickwork'. Only when I stepped back to compose my picture did I note that Trafalgar's signs are inside although they no longer proclaim 'For Sale'. Such sights are not uncommon as retail property is allowed to stand unused for months and years and, in so doing, diminish the attraction of existing businesses. This is in no way acceptable at a social level or any kind of practical level. TZ70_P1000107CE