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My wonder is Salisbury cathedral. It鈥檚 a series of unplanned pieces of brilliance 鈥� the beautiful spire, for example, was very much an afterthought. As most people probably know, they had originally built a square Norman tower. I once met a very elderly canon in the close, and I said my goodness this must be the most beautiful cathedral in Britain. 鈥淣orthern Europe,鈥� he replied.

It has a wonderful ethereal beauty but it also has the strength of a building designed to be there for centuries. It鈥檚 aspirational in every sense. It reaches up to the sky. It鈥檚 where people have prayed for life and death and the health of their children and the safety of their country. And then you have the close around it with every period of incredible beauty. So I鈥檓 cheating a bit because it鈥檚 also in the most amazing setting.

I鈥檓 afraid there has been quite a lot of uglification in Luton in the sense of functional buildings with no merit having been placed where the public can鈥檛 miss them 鈥� such as Library Road鈥檚 car park, which has been closed since 2008 owing to concerns about safety. The sad thing is that the town hall is absolutely the opposite 鈥� it鈥檚 a stylish, chic, art deco building with a tower that makes a real statement, which says we care about ourselves and we cherish ourselves. This blocked-off and condemned concrete car park says the opposite. It鈥檚 just where you would want there to be a theatre or other lovely building.

Wonder

The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Salisbury was begun in 1220 and completed in less than 40 years. The 6,500 tonne spire was added in 1320. The cathedral contains the world鈥檚 oldest working clock (dating from about 1385) and the chapter house contains one of the four remaining copies of the Magna Carta.

Blunder

The Library Road car park in Luton was completed in the seventies. It is joined to Luton鈥檚 mall by a walkway. In October 2008, surveyors closed it down owing to structural problems, with the loss of 600 parking spaces. A spokesperson for The Mall, the firm that runs the car park, is looking at repair and reconstruction options.