No matter how bleak their views, benches embody civil kindness | Emma Beddington

Bristol’s newest sit-down spot has been mocked for facing a brick wall – and there are plenty in my own town of York facing unlovely aspects. But sometimes we all just need a rest A bench in Bristol installed facing a brick wall has aroused local curiosity – why put it there? BBC West commented that it joined other perversely placed seating: “a bench in Shirehampton facing a derelict building … and one in Wedmore facing a hedge”. Bristol city council explained that when it plants a planned tree, the bench will provide a shady spot to rest on a steep hill, but promised to “review” the placement. My first thought was that facing a brick wall could be meditative – I quite like staring at nothing – but my second was, “Surely York, where I live, is too beautiful to have benches with similarly terrible views?” Time for a benchmarking trip. Continue reading...

By Emma Beddington