A new name for the Bench?

[Gary Marlowe]

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In this morning's Gazette, there were no less than six letters having a go at the Bench, or more accurately having a go at the shelters.

To me, it is the shelters rather than the bench itself that are the most interesting part of the whole project.  Now that the bench is less than half the world record, and ADC themselves can't agree what to call it, I think it's time to give it a new name.  Calling it a bench doesn't do it, because it's much more than that.  Calling the two bookends, shelters also doesn't work because they're clearly not intended to provide much in the way of shelter and will continue to be criticised for not doing so.  So to me, something new is needed.

I have an idea.  With Littlehampton being a tourist town, any name needs to be something that will attract attention (and with it, visitors)  My suggestion, is to link to the most famous person in Littlehampton and that of course is Anita Roddick.  After all, without her, the whole project may never have got off the ground.  As I understand it, she pledged to pay for it entirely before her untimely death left the project in limbo.  Apart from the CABE grant, the only private donation was £100,000 put up by her widow, Gordon Roddick.

So it seems logical (both commercially and in memory of one of Littlehampton's finest) to name the project after her.  Rather than something descriptive (benches and shelters are hardly inspiring) what about something along the lines of 'Anita's View'?  That is literal in the the sense it's all about the vista, but it also pays homage to how the founder of the Body Shop changed the way people around the world thought about ethically sourced products and, in some ways, changed the retail environment.

Quite how 'ethical' the bench is I'm not certain, what I do know is that the wood from the slats is not just reclaimed wood, but wood that's been reclaimed from groynes, which at least gives it some green credentials.

A name like Anita's View, a connection to one of the world's most forward thinking retailers and activists, would, I think, be so much better than the Long Bench.  It would also deflect any criticism of it not being (and never likely to be) the longest.

At the moment, there is no sign to say what it is called or when it was built.  Now is the time to give it a new name and celebrate the life of the one person who did the most to put Littlehampton on the map.

[Iain]

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This suggestion is both sensible and sensitive.  Only tweak I can offer is - how about 'Anita's Long Rest'?

[Gary Marlowe]

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Getting some positive reaction to giving the Bench a new name.  What does everyone else think?

[fliss]

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it's a lovely sentiment and a nice idea for an official name.

things usually get a name that sticks whatever the official name anyway though... i think the term 'The Bench' has probably taken hold already. Everyone knows what you mean when you say it.

[Gary Marlowe]

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People here in Littlehampton refer to it as 'the bench' because 'the longest bench in the world' is too long a name. My point is simply that the bench part of the total project is arguably the least interesting bit. It's the shelters that really draw the attention.  So calling it 'the bench' really doesn't do it justice. 

Even now, days before it's completed, Arun District Council (who ultimately have the responsibility) can't decide on what to call it.  Is it Littlehampton's Longest Bench, Littlehampton's Long Bench or even Britain's Longest Bench.  The truth is none of those are great names and all of them draw attention to it being some kind of record-setter. 

Even though it's less than half the length it was supposed to be, I overheard several people yesterday referring to it as 'the world's longest'.  To my mind, the notion of the longest bench is about as interesting as the tallest lamp post (and no, I don't have a clue where that is!)

I agree the bench will probably end up being called 'the bench' (or more likely 'that waste of money!) but there is an opportunity to change that.  After all, it has not been officially opened and there is no nameplate anywhere on the structure. 

Paris' most famous building, the Eiffel Tower, was originally known as 'the 300 meter tower'.  Like the bench (and the East Beach Cafe) it was initially pilloried by Parisians who called it an eyesore.  It was those critics who named it 'la tour Eiffel, after its designer Gustave Eiffel, and that name has stuck ever since.