I was rather caught today on my lunchtime walk around Wycombe town centre. From my office window it looked like a pleasant sort of day so I decided to go out without a coat. Stepping outside into the street the cold air made me realise the weather was not particularly nice. However I decided to brave the elements and continue in the hope that the energy expended by walking would keep me warm.

Walking along the High Street I noticed the scaffolding has been taken down around the entrance to the Octagon. The new facade can now be seen and appears to be a modern looking design consisting of lots of darkened glass and some light coloured tiles. This design sticks out like a sore thumb as it's totally out of keeping with the surrounding architecture. It looks more like a construction you would expect to find on an industrial estate than next to our wonderful 18th Century Guildhall opposite.

To get out of the cold it seemed a good idea to go into the warm shopping centre. Once inside it’s apparent the light coloured tile theme continues throughout as the entire floor is covered in similar tiles. This is hardly an imaginative design. Clean and modern maybe but the words dull and boring can also be used to describe it.

The only colour in the shopping centre comes from the shop fronts and window displays in what appears to be an exercise to use up a surplus consignment of bland floor tiles. Moving into the central part of the Octagon I noticed the water feature has been taken away leaving just an escalator. The bland theme continues.

I wonder if the rest of the new complex will be decorated in a similar manner. The design may have looked good on paper but surely we deserve a little colour in our lives? When the Octagon was first built the floor was made of dull engineering bricks some of which still survive if you know where to look. They were also un-inspiring but it seems we have not learned the lesson from previous mistakes. Have you seen the decor and do you like it?
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