Restored or derelict?

I love the collapse look to, I guess it would depend on where the building is located.

 Thats the problem around here in the US we rebuild everthing and try to fit as much crap into a small place as we can.

As I have told you before I have been fighting to keep a building called Saltwells House which is in the middle of our nature reserve. I went there earlier in the week and the vandals have broken in and caused more damage. I would like to see it retored but not to make apartments - for the use of our community. It is difficult in an area like ours where we suffer alot of anti social behavior and vandalism though. I know you have visited Haden Hill Park Jason and Sandwell (all credit to them) have successfully restored the wonderful Haden Hall - both the Tudor and Victorian parts. That is a real success story and one of the best parks in the West Midlands.

Yeah Haden hill house is lovely, and i do like restored places as well. But wow...the old house next door is spectacular!!! 

But i still like the unrestored look, the part tumble down, found in the middle of a forest look!!  there is something mysterious about it, feels untouched, like you have just discovered it and the old occupants are somehow still about you! the walls still tell stories because the builders haven't been there with new cement and tools yet!!

Micheal...the Houghs were my neighbors here for many years, (MIceal Hough grandfather was an well known Curcuit Judge) it was thier son Spencer my son use to play with, that after they moved and Spencer grew up lost his life from an fall at Portland State Universery at an "party" one weekend off an balcony.. yes, they are Catholic. Garrad county, Kentucky is where many of my Hubby's Lawson family came from, and they were near Barrdstown, Ky when the Catholics in Europe decided they had better make an "grass roots" representation in the forntier area of American and not just Maryland. That involves John Lawson..my hubby's side. We have all three Catholics, Baptist and Methodist in thsi one family.

I have helped in some ways in making things "historical" again through the years in suggestions and in signing petitions..such as the Mt. Angel church on the National Historic list after the "Spring break quake" as they called it. I felt guilty over it in ways..I had been there and said to the Lord, seeing its doors "locked shut"..and how do I get in there?..my answer came the next week with this earthquake in which the roof was lifted off one inch, just enough they couldn't lock the doors and had to have someone there 24/7 for security...but in the process of fixing it they did an lot of needed repair work no doubt. You mentioned Charles Dickens the author, he mentions an Larkins in one of his books..that was my mother's maiden name...we are still trying to decided with or without the "S" as one is Scot-Irish..the other English supposedly. The Hough or later on "Haw" family have been traveling with us for many years in geneaology. I have one of them an Methodist minister...though Methoidsim  raged in the fontier areas, where churches were few and far between, unlike the cities and safe from Native ameircans out to take scaps if possible. I think these buildings should be rendered historically "true" as close as possible..I think if they need they need the money they could have festivals and maybe have but only one wing of the entire residence for visitor's to stay in overnight...not the whole of it privately and permanetly daily. This points to the need of no property taxes in ways. But I have been saying that for so long now. Taxes should only be on monies made yearly..to be justifiable to most of us...with grace to pay them off in installments if need be from one year to the next perhaps. .It is the single biggest influence to the building of the states in it's history, the abilty when you could not afford them to leave and have somewhere else to go and live that was "tax-free"..namely the froniters. We have no land left to escape to now..so what you say "Space Stations" someday?  Jack F. Kennedy saw it coming did he not? ..."the New Frontier" era. Whom owuld have the money these days for such an undertaking, certainly not the average citzen facing so much un-employment right now.