Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

Probably looking at something like 1bn is needed to rebuild it back to original features

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

Good point here: https://twitter.com/Markgatiss/statu...68998027165696

Time to move MPs out temporarily and properly renovate it. I don't like the idea of turning it in a museum, I would rather they keep it, but MPs can cross to the QE2 centre for 5 years or so....

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

:cry: Oh those beautiful Rose Windows..They were so spectacular..

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

I was at York Minster the other week, which was famously struck by lightning and partially burned down in 1984. The tour guide told us that between a third and a half of all the surviving medieval glass in Europe was in the windows at the Minster. That proportion is now somewhat higher (though much of ND’s glass actually dated from the 18th and 19th centuries).

York Minster lost only the roof of its south transcept whereas ND seems to have lost the lot. The Minster’s South Transcept roof took 4 years to replace and includes the Blue Peter Boss, which depicts an astronaut and the moon. And on that point - it’s easy to look at these buildings and see them as ancient monuments, literally set in stone and unchanging. They aren’t - they took centuries to build, and often sit on top of the foundations of earlier church buildings that have all but vanished. Once completed in their present form their interiors are constantly being altered, added to or conserved or restored. Nobody wanted this to happen to ND but the building will survive and this will become a part of its history, just as I was able to point out the Blue Peter Boss to my kids and tell them that story.

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

Too soon?

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

Interesting perspective from Janet Street-Porter.

https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/16/janet...verty-9222172/

Janet added: ‘But on the other hand, the fire that really shocked me was Grenfell Tower, so let’s not detract from that because that was truly horrible because of all the people inside. ‘So yeah, I was sad to see it [Notre-Dame] burn down but I don’t want to necessarily see it rebuilt.’ Host Andrea noted that Janet ‘touched on a really good point’ and spoke about the worldwide fundraising campaign that’s been set up, announcing that two of France’s richest men have donated €300 million towards the cause. ‘I think you’re right Janet, it does make you think – people are coming together to rebuild an iconic building but there are some incredibly worthy causes out there that people don’t rush to throw hundreds of millions of euros at,’ she agreed.

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

Meh.

I think helping to maintain an important historical landmark for future generations is a very worthy cause. Don't really see the need for the comparison with Grenfell either, they're two different tragedies.

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

There were human fatalities at Grenfell. I think that is an important distinction.

The BBC spent more than 15 minutes reporting the Notre Dame fire on its main news bulletin last night. A bit over the top to report on a fire in a cathedral for that length of time when there are far more important things in the world they could have been reporting on. People are more important than buildings, regrettable that it is that the fire did this damage.

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

But it's not one or the other. Why the need to compare them?

It's an historical building that's 800 years old which has been badly damaged. The fire at St Pauls and it's rebuilding during the Great Fire is still, 300 years later, a important part in the history of London. People around the world knew of Notre Dame long before we were here and people will remember the fire long after we're gone.

A few days on that isn't too much coverage IMO.

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

^This.

It is too easy to fill cheap column inches with angry comment that makes trite, binary arguments about whether we should do one thing or another, or spend money on this or that.

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

On the other hand, its just an old building that burned down, something that probably happens everyday somewhere in the world. From my POV I dont consider it "Tragic", just a bit unfortunate for the owners. You would think it would be insured as well.

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

It's not any old building though, it's Notre-Dame. It's the French equivalent of Parliament or Buckingham Palace burning down. Any other old building doesn't have that history or significance in French and Western culture, not to mention Catholicism for whom Notre-Dame has to be one of the most ironic sites outside of Rome. I think it is pretty tragic as a result.

I am not sure who owns it. I assume the French state does. I am not even sure if any insurance company would take on something like Notre-Dame, it's invaluable really.

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

Thankfully there are enough people with an understanding of the place “old” buildings have in history and national life and a will to preserve them.

If buildings only a third of the age of this one had been pulled down, or weren’t maintained just because they were old, our own towns and cities would be very dull places.

850 years, by the way, is older than most countries in existence today. As a means of understanding Europe and its history, places like Notre Dame are invaluable.

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

^
This...

My local church (which my wife and children have attended for 30 years, and where my daughter was married) was started in 1150, and built upon the foundations of a previous wooden church from 1089 - the history is what makes it important.

(I’m not religious (lapsed RC), but it has a great sense of community).

Re: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris
 

At least the bees survived.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/19/e...9T14%3A20%3A03