Scaffolding and Phone Booths

Perhaps it's a sign of the improving economy here, I don't know what it was like before, but as of now, you can't find a BLOCK anywhere that doesn't have some scaffolding erected in front as repairs are being made to the facade, new windows and who knows what else. This is not just in London but wherever we've been so far.  If I'm looking for a clean picture of a city block in the smallest village, you'll find it with at least one scaffold erected, sometimes covered with a huge cloth, but just as likely without. We've seen several being erected and I think the scaffolding companies must be raking it in these days. I thought they were a blight on the scenery so I tried to avoid showing them in any of my pictures.

There are plenty of huge cranes dotting the skyline of London with several huge projects going up right in the center of town probably on the site of some forlorn but hugely historic old building.  A lot of old buildings were destroyed by the Nazi Blitz of 1941-42 but not a trace of that remains today even though
Evie remembers well playing in the craters in the early 50's, when rationing was still in effect and the rebuilding was just getting going. The city has been made anew.

Of course, it has a long history of remaking itself.  Most famously, a huge fire broke out in 1666 that burned most of the city, leaving St. Paul's and a few other landmarks, so a good portion of the old stuff still standing dates from after that fire.

The famous red phone booths still are everywhere even in this age of cell phones; I doubt that they are used much anymore.  I never noticed anyone using one the whole time we were in London except, of course, as props for their pictures, like this one!

Phone booth as prop