Sir – Re Paul Hornby’s published letter on the proposed Blavatnik building next to St Paul’s Church Jericho.

He notes two modernish buildings which he suggests respect surrounding urban framework.


The first Minster Court (not Towers) is a monstrosity of epic diluted Gothic proportion in London; suitably used in the 101 Dalmatians film as the House of De Vil which says all you need to know.


The Judge Business School in the other place looks almost as bad from the outside as it does from the inside and bland beyond belief. Why do we want neo-classical design harking back to ancient Rome and Greece, surely St Paul’s next door is enough. All too much itself looking like an ancient mausoleum stone slab elephant with gigantic trunks at the entrance.


The proposed building design from the models and images I’ve seen would lift the entire area and help bring it into the modern world. Looking at the way the layout has been designed, you can see that the architects haven’t, as is so common these days, tried to overcrowd the interior because of the way the stairs have been placed within and sustainability wise look at all the natural light the inhabitants will be getting.


A really well thought out and forward thinking design; Jericho will be lucky to have it. My only worry is all the hard and frequent work that the poor window cleaners will have to go through to keep it sparkling.


Where was Paul Hornby and others of the Jericho Watch before the new Jericho Health Centre was built. That’s a real dog of a building and a missed opportunity, don’t let this one get away just because it challenges long-held perceptions.


Gary Brimson, Oxford