BY ROGER WATSON Tucked away along the bustling Danube Canal, like a secret waiting to be discovered, stands the Schänzel Chapel – officially known as St. John Nepomuk Chapel. This unassuming, pint-sized sanctuary is so easy to miss that most passersby barely glance its way. But for those who pause, who dare to peer beyond its weathered exterior, a hauntingly beautiful mystery unfolds. At first … Continue reading A Hidden Gem: Vienna’s Schänzel Chapel
BY GARY MCGHEE ‘The English have no taste, which is why they set so much store by it’ (Joe Orton) It is likely that Joe, being a homosexual non-conformist, wasn’t describing himself. To say that homosexuals tend to have better taste than straights is a truism, but also a stereotypical trap. I know gay men who have no taste whatsoever and don’t care a damn … Continue reading Drowning in a Sea of Grey
BY NIALL McCRAE Glasgow, more than any other city in Europe, was Concretopolis. The Labour-dominated city chambers demolished swathes of neglected sandstone tenements, as damp and decaying slums made way for modern concrete towers. This was driven by political philosophy, as a solid expression of the Welfare State. I grew up in Gourock on the River Clyde, a pretty neighbour to the tough shipbuilding town … Continue reading Brutalist Architecture: Was it all Bad?
