This week I met a woman who originally came from England but has lived in Canada for 40 years.
She was telling me that Leicester, her home town, has changed almost beyond recognition since she first left.
This is partly due to the number of immigrants moving in and also to do with the city naturally expanding and changing over the years.
It got me thinking about whether I will notice any changes when we return to England in three years time.
We are going back for a visit in April but I doubt there will be many differences after 10 months, but we shall see. Perhaps I will notice things I didn’t notice before.
Places obviously change and grow over time and it will be interesting to note these new developments.
Already I know Shrewsbury has erected a new public art installation for the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Darwin, who was born and went to school in the medieval town.
I saw designs of Quantum Leap, the name of the sculpture, before I left but it will be interesting to see it for real.
It is huge — a 12 metre high installation, which to me resembles a dinosaur’s spine. The sculpture’s ribs weigh more than 113 tonnes.
The design is meant to represent Darwin’s ideas and his impact on the scientific world.
Like most things, the sculpture was somewhat mired in controversy due to escalating costs.
I am looking forward to making my own mind up about it when I visit.
When I moved to Shrewsbury, my mother was quite amused as she grew up in the nearby city of Wolverhampton.
But it has vastly changed from the town she remembered as a child.
Many cities in England have undergone make-overs with old warehouses being turned into useful buildings, which is definitely a good thing as it breathes new life into derelict areas.
A prime example is Liverpool. On a visit in 2008, when I took my then fiancé to see Anthony Gormley’s Another Place exhibition on Crosby Beach, we were most impressed by Liverpool city centre.
The Albert Dock is a fantastic regenerated area. The dock is the largest group of Grade I listed buildings in Britain and was built to the design of engineer and architect Jesse Hartley.
Redevelopment of the dock started in the 1980s. The first phase opened in 1984 and the final undeveloped space was brought into use in 2003.
Now it’s an exciting area to be with many art museums, shops and restaurants.
Shrewsbury has its own regeneration project at the Flax Mill, which is currently in the very long process of being redeveloped.
Plans for a new £30 million regeneration scheme went on show to the public at the end of 2009.
The design includes offices, a museum and about 200 homes.
It will be great to see the Flax Mill, the world’s first iron framed building, brought back to life. Previously it has looked in a rather sad state on one of the main roads into the town.
On a smaller scale, I know there will be other changes when I go home in April. At my parents’ house in Surrey, they have changed my bedroom around. I still think of it as “my bedroom” even though I haven’t lived there since I was 18 years old and they have also cut down a huge tree which was in our front garden.
It will be an interesting experience in April to see England and the places I know with a fresh pair of eyes.
Rebecca Lawrence can be reached at 691-1258.
