Another Article - A Scheme for a Great National Monument by David Walsh, M.D

[ffutures]

An engagingly loopy and (despite appearing in April 1903) I suspect seriously-intended proposal to build a an enduring tomb and monument of the Empire in London.

http://forgottenfutures.com/library/monument/monument.htm

Anyone else get a strong Stargate vibe off the illustrations?

The reason I'm currently putting so much on line is that someone has sent me a long list of articles that seem to fit my selection criteria for Forgotten Futures, which I've somehow previously missed, and is helping with the scanning. It won't necessarily last...

Comments

[pauldormer.livejournal.com]

Incidentally, did you see that recent series on BBC4 about architectural plans that never were built? Included a glass covered ringroad around inner London designed by the guy who designed the Crystal Palace, and also an examination of all the plans for Channel tunnels and bridges right back.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

No, missed it - thanks, I'll have to look out for a repeat.

[pauldormer.livejournal.com]

It was called something like Dreaming the Impossible and being BBC4, sure to be repeated.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Seen it now - a lot of it lifted straight out of London As It Might Have Been, the big book on alternative London architecture etc., but good fun and excellent on stuff like the history of float glass.

[pauldormer.livejournal.com]

Well, not every episode was about London. There was the bit about the channel tunnel, the ship canal across Scotland, and demolishing all of Glasgow after WWII.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Looks more Lovecraftian to me, definitely designed to summon some sort of extradimensional entity.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Fair point... or to contain one, of course. Maybe the Laundry's predecessors blocked its construction.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

It's quite cheerfully pagan isn't it, even mention of a small druidical circle that might be built within one of the chambers.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do get the impression he had his own loopy religious agenda here, just had to hope it didn't involve human sacrifice...

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

It does seem rather well furnished with underground body storage facilities...

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

First, does the Long Now Foundation know about this guy?

Second, for future reference, what are your selection criteria for Forgotten Futures? (I do have at least a vague idea.)

Now and then I stumble across things that might be relevant, such as the magazine where I learned about the most wonderful clock in Chicago.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I have no idea about the Long Now people - I think that they are highly optimistic about the longevity of their project, but that's not my problem. Please feel free to point it out to them if you have contacts, I'll gladly supply high-res scans if they want them.

Things I can use need to be

• Out of European copyright (author must have died and material must have been published more than 70 years ago. e.g. pre 1943)
• Out of editorial copyright (an edition more than 25 years old, or a facsimile of an earlier edition published later provided it hasn't been modified in any way).
• Vaguely related to scientific romances, period technology, role playing, the weirder side of Victorian / Edwardian life, or something of the sort.
• Something I haven't already covered (e.g., I really don't need any more monorail articles unless there is a VERY different slant.
• And above all else, INTERESTING! To me (I'm not going to do OCR and proofreading on something that bores me), and to anyone else looking at my site or buying my CD-ROM.

Hope that makes it clearer.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Forgot to say that all applies to illustrations too.