Today Cassie said she thought East Beach Cafe was an 'eyesore' I know that's a view shared by a lot of people. Equally, many (myself included) believe it's a fantastic piece of architecture and something Littlehampton should be proud to have. Yes, the radical nature of the design divides opinion, but there's no question it draws people to the town and, in my opinion, should be seen as our Eiffel Tower, our Guggenheim, the building that symbolises Littlehampton and is used at the core of all its publicity. And remember, both those buildings continue to divide opinion to this day.
Whether you like it or not, I don't think you can call it an 'eyesore'. It's unquestionably very different, and it's definitely an unconventional building in so many ways. But to me, that's a good thing, not a reason for dissing it.
It's also wonderfully photogenic. I should know, I photograph it most weeks. Now that the Long Bench shelters have been revealed and use a similar 'rusted' metal to that of East Beach Cafe, my own view is they will each make sense of each other and give our promenade a uniquely contemporary backdrop. Let's wait a few weeks and see what it looks like when it's all finished and all the disjointed elements are connected.
in the meantime, as proof that we have one of the country's best buildings on our doorstep, check out
Images of East Beach Cafe at
http://bit.ly/bKwsDu - it might just change your mind!
