Bad taste Quote by Jonathan Meades
““The two Mast Houses just within the Victory Gate of Portsmouth Dockyard are raised above the water on piloti. They are structures of remarkable grace, clinker-built, painted the palest green. They are vast, as they needed to be. Their survival is an industrial site devoted for a century to the servicing of mastless vessels is a matter for celebration. The use of which the more southerly is put is a matter for obloquy: the Mary Rose Shop is a repository of tawdry, insipid tat. It's the sort of stuff to make me wince- a dismal, timid inventory of mediocrity. Bad taste is forgivable. It's no taste which is so disheartening.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Architectural Commentary, 2000
The speaker praises the historic mast houses for their design and industrial heritage, while criticizing a nearby shop for cheap, uninspired merchandise.
In simple terms: Admire historic architecture, reject tasteless commercialism.
Key Takeaway
Value heritage, reject bad taste.
Themes
architecture
heritage
design criticism
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analysis
opinion
When to use this quote
- tourism
- museum curation
- urban planning
Key Concepts
industrial preservation
aesthetic judgment
Questions to Reflect On
- What defines good taste in public spaces?
- How can heritage sites balance commerce?
A Different Perspective
Taste is subjective; some may appreciate the shop.
![“I don't think things necessarily should have a meaning. If stuff has a meaning then why do [writing] about it? If you're trying to say, 'Tall buildings are great' why not just leave it at that: "Tall buildings are great."” quote by Jonathan Meades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/75f/jonathan-meades-15966_building_i-don-t-think-things-necessarily-should_714145.jpg)
