merricat
confused particle
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2013
- Messages
- 543
- Location
- UK
Perhaps a mix of the 'Spirit of Places' and the people who inhabit them. I'm thinking of how much they influence one another.
I'm struck by how much places can change though. I was born on the rural periphery of a large northern town, the larger part of which has altered incredibly over the duration of my lifetime. Not just the structures and economy, but the personality of the town itself. I spent the last 5 years prior to 2021 living in the South Lakes/Shropshire, and on my return to spend time with my mother before she passed, noticed that the entire character of the place had changed. Naturally, I have accounted for such changes that might be the result of societal/political attitudes and variations, which isn't quite what I'm thinking of here. Those factors at least make sense.
I'm talking about the feel of the place. I had initially noticed these changes in the year leading up to the pandemic, on the few occasions that I had returned to visit. People were visibly slumped; shoulders thrust forward with heads lowered, eyes to the ground. This occurred to me soon after leaving the train station and entering the town centre - a somewhat bleak vision, accompanied by a sensation of gloom, an almost palpable atmosphere of apathy and neglect. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, the people actually even looked grey, drained of colour, as if a light had gone out of them. Many looked to have been 'pushed down', physically, their faces somewhat blank, expressionless.
Much of this could be attributed to a lower standard of living, but having since remained fairly local in order to tidy up some family affairs, the changes have become even more apparent. Hitherto quiet spaces, walks and roads are now perpetually packed out. There's a sort of anger about the place the closer you get to the town centre; a manic sort of energy, a growing restlessness. Everything seems hollowed out, not just the result of shop closures, but possibly due to the rise in aggressive behaviour, lack of maintenance (trash/litter/vandalism) and a steady increase in anti social street drama.
More than anything else I've noticed is the 'rise of noise'. I'm not particularly sensitive to it, but the increase is phenomenal. Largely vehicles - in some parts of the town it can be difficult to hold a conversation both in and outdoors due to extreme vehicle noise which accelerated (if you'll excuse the pun!) quite rapidly during the pandemic and has only become worse since. This is more noticeable in quieter streets as opposed to larger, busier sections of road, and can be quite deafening. The rise in noise has a human and industrial aspect also, which has definitely increased since I was last there. I am currently staying just outside of the area until late January, and you definitely notice the sudden drop off of this odd, disturbing energy when you drive away from the town.
I've asked around a bit, and it seems that I am not alone. Family friends have mentioned shopping elsewhere and avoiding the town altogether even though they live in the borough. It was once a rather bustling place, the town folk being very direct, chatty, optimistic. There is a decidedly unpleasant 'cloak' that seems to have settled over the place, that in a more whimsical moment one might liken to a 'field' of erratic, negative energy. And whilst these observations quite obviously speak of economic depression, there's something else too..... a darkness that has settled in, in which the very landscape seems to have been altered, distorted, emptied out.
I mentioned this a while ago on the forum during a different discussion, that there is a sort of invisible 'line' around these areas that can be felt, that if you step outside of it the weight and depression seems to lift. I had considered looking into the history of the land before it was built upon but nothing of interest popped up. I wonder about which comes first - the personality of the place or the actions of those who shape it? To what extent do they impinge upon/influence one another?
The town once attracted a good amount of visitors and investment, which sadly seems to have become a thing of the past. My own friends have remarked upon the changes when visiting, and have even suggested they felt a physical 'slump' on arrival.
I didn't frequent the area in question when I was growing up but did have friends there as a teenager. Time will, of course, alter the shape and impression of most localities but the difference in this one made quite a profound impression on me.
I'm struck by how much places can change though. I was born on the rural periphery of a large northern town, the larger part of which has altered incredibly over the duration of my lifetime. Not just the structures and economy, but the personality of the town itself. I spent the last 5 years prior to 2021 living in the South Lakes/Shropshire, and on my return to spend time with my mother before she passed, noticed that the entire character of the place had changed. Naturally, I have accounted for such changes that might be the result of societal/political attitudes and variations, which isn't quite what I'm thinking of here. Those factors at least make sense.
I'm talking about the feel of the place. I had initially noticed these changes in the year leading up to the pandemic, on the few occasions that I had returned to visit. People were visibly slumped; shoulders thrust forward with heads lowered, eyes to the ground. This occurred to me soon after leaving the train station and entering the town centre - a somewhat bleak vision, accompanied by a sensation of gloom, an almost palpable atmosphere of apathy and neglect. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, the people actually even looked grey, drained of colour, as if a light had gone out of them. Many looked to have been 'pushed down', physically, their faces somewhat blank, expressionless.
Much of this could be attributed to a lower standard of living, but having since remained fairly local in order to tidy up some family affairs, the changes have become even more apparent. Hitherto quiet spaces, walks and roads are now perpetually packed out. There's a sort of anger about the place the closer you get to the town centre; a manic sort of energy, a growing restlessness. Everything seems hollowed out, not just the result of shop closures, but possibly due to the rise in aggressive behaviour, lack of maintenance (trash/litter/vandalism) and a steady increase in anti social street drama.
More than anything else I've noticed is the 'rise of noise'. I'm not particularly sensitive to it, but the increase is phenomenal. Largely vehicles - in some parts of the town it can be difficult to hold a conversation both in and outdoors due to extreme vehicle noise which accelerated (if you'll excuse the pun!) quite rapidly during the pandemic and has only become worse since. This is more noticeable in quieter streets as opposed to larger, busier sections of road, and can be quite deafening. The rise in noise has a human and industrial aspect also, which has definitely increased since I was last there. I am currently staying just outside of the area until late January, and you definitely notice the sudden drop off of this odd, disturbing energy when you drive away from the town.
I've asked around a bit, and it seems that I am not alone. Family friends have mentioned shopping elsewhere and avoiding the town altogether even though they live in the borough. It was once a rather bustling place, the town folk being very direct, chatty, optimistic. There is a decidedly unpleasant 'cloak' that seems to have settled over the place, that in a more whimsical moment one might liken to a 'field' of erratic, negative energy. And whilst these observations quite obviously speak of economic depression, there's something else too..... a darkness that has settled in, in which the very landscape seems to have been altered, distorted, emptied out.
I mentioned this a while ago on the forum during a different discussion, that there is a sort of invisible 'line' around these areas that can be felt, that if you step outside of it the weight and depression seems to lift. I had considered looking into the history of the land before it was built upon but nothing of interest popped up. I wonder about which comes first - the personality of the place or the actions of those who shape it? To what extent do they impinge upon/influence one another?
The town once attracted a good amount of visitors and investment, which sadly seems to have become a thing of the past. My own friends have remarked upon the changes when visiting, and have even suggested they felt a physical 'slump' on arrival.
I didn't frequent the area in question when I was growing up but did have friends there as a teenager. Time will, of course, alter the shape and impression of most localities but the difference in this one made quite a profound impression on me.
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