Jane Crees – My Favourite Building

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What is it?

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, Île de la Cité, Paris, France

Do you think that’s an obvious choice – or do you reckon it’s a hidden gem?

There is nothing hidden about the grand and beautiful French Gothic cathedral that has graced its location in the middle of Paris for nearly a thousand years.  Even in its current diminished state (many will have watched live on TV the devastating fire of 15th April 2019 which destroyed the roof, spire and much of the interior) it is still awe-inspiring, although it temporarily resembles a large, bandaged patient convalescing on the banks of the Seine.

Can you tell us a little about its history?

A similarly aged cathedral (Durham) has already featured in this series and to me it is an unsurprising choice.  After all, these are buildings that have existed through the medieval and modern history of our continent.  If buildings are somehow able to bear witness, this is an extraordinary presence.

In the case of Notre Dame, I am captured more by its development and adaptation over time (there was a 300-year construction period after the initial consecration in 1182) but also the qualities of endurance and resilience conveyed by its history.  The cathedral has been close to destruction on several occasions, not just in 2019 but also during the French Revolution, the Franco-Prussian war, Paris Commune and during the final days of the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1944. 

The urban myth that the Nazi officer ordered to destroy Notre Dame simply could not bring himself to ruin something so beautiful does not survive close investigation.  I can see however why the story captures the imagination and it is perhaps a nod to the potentially transcendent nature of buildings and art in general.  Notre Dame in particular seems to have an appeal far wider than its role as a religious symbol and place of worship.

Most recently, the French state’s commitment to the reconstruction of the damaged sections is engaging specialisms and expertise, mobilising the latest building technologies and is itself providing opportunities to further our knowledge of the past. 

What about your history with the building – what was your first memory of it?

I appreciate it is a cliché but Paris is my favourite city and one where I feel very at home so the sight of Notre Dame is normally very welcome.  I can’t recall my earliest memory, but I took a short sabbatical in Paris at the beginning of 2013 and Notre Dame was only a few hundred metres from the end of my street so I walked past it most days.   

Is it the inside or outside that does it for you?

The outside. The few times I have been inside, I have been surprised at its quiet serenity, particularly as I was there with probably hundreds of other tourists at the same time.  

How do you think the lawyers felt about it?

There would have been much of interest to keep construction lawyers busy over time, but I realise I know little of how and when construction law developed as a profession.  I have just started reading “Building St Paul’s” by James W P Campbell about the wider construction team responsible for that cathedral.  It is fascinating but not focused on lawyers!

Nothing’s perfect though, is there anything you would change about it?

Probably a safer history.

Do you think it will last?

It has managed to survive a great deal so far, so I would like to be optimistic and say, yes.

Any honourable mentions? Have you got any others to tick off?

Other buildings?  I have always loved the forward-looking egalitarianism of the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank (and I read recently that a female project manager oversaw some of its construction which I found quite pioneering for the late 1940s!)

Dishonourable mentions?

Anything where the need to build economically and in quantity has prevented the construction of something stylish, beautiful and functional.  These aims should not – and do not have to be – incompatible.

 

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