Duchess of Cornwall right, still unfinished tower upper left. Our informant said that a very impressive crane had been deployed to lift the pots onto the upper balustrade. Also that on one occasion a sort of gazebo had appeared in the middle of the square to be occupied by a brass band from Cornwall. With trumpeters - with those long straight trumpets without valves that you get in costume dramas about knights in armour put together by Kenneth Branagh - appearing next to the pots.
The tasteful tissue holder in our hotel room. Plus a thoughtfully provided bedtime story, translated from the original French, useful to those who have forgotten their kindle.
A nice mix in the dining room where we had a fair amount of exposed black steel work, after the fashion of the turbine hall in the Tate Modern and a wall covered in old-style paintings, mostly portraits of royals and aristocrats. I don't think that the paintings and their frames had been produced by a 3-D printer, but the paintings had certainly been printed by some kind of computer. Overall effect rather fun.
Not fake Georgian town houses at all, rather flats for affordables, two of whom I caught at their fag on their doorstep. Rather sulky when I asked them about whether it was houses or flats and I did not like to ask whether smoking was banned inside. Which seemed quite possible, if officious.
The old farm house, one of the few bits of Poundbury which is not fake. Used by estate management, inter alia, for occasional meetings with the Prince. One supposes that the town was built on what was the farm land attached to the farm house, then and now part of the Duchy estate.
There must have been a fair bit of it as the farm house was large and must have cost a bit to run. Perhaps the Duchy of old was after substantial gentlemen farmers who wanted substantial houses and who were prepared to put money into their farm, their farm workers and their dwellings, who had a proper sense of their station and who would set a good example more generally. Rather than putting the same money into the hands of merchants from the big town selling luxury goods to their wives. Or into rural money-lending and other speculations.
There must have been a fair bit of it as the farm house was large and must have cost a bit to run. Perhaps the Duchy of old was after substantial gentlemen farmers who wanted substantial houses and who were prepared to put money into their farm, their farm workers and their dwellings, who had a proper sense of their station and who would set a good example more generally. Rather than putting the same money into the hands of merchants from the big town selling luxury goods to their wives. Or into rural money-lending and other speculations.
The multi-faith tranquillity building, a spirited attempt to provide a bit of community life for the estate. An attempt which might well fail, but I do sympathise with the need that it attempts to meet.
The interior of the tranquillity building. Not that different to the waiting room at a better class general practitioner.
The rather kitsch tranquillity garden. Something that the National Trust managed much better at Polesden Lacey.
The square containing the pub, also contained a Waitrose and a proper suburban garden centre, this last, as is proper, coming with a large cafeteria and a large Christmas grotto. They did sell logs and I think they sold plants, but for some reason I did not think to take its picture.
All in all, all the makings of a proper suburb, distinguished by the style of the buildings, the generous layout and the trees. Provided the fake buildings wear OK, it should all look rather good in years to come.
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