Pre-App [The Branches]

All Images: Clifton, Bristol & West Leicester, August 2024

When I was very young, my dad worked for the National Provincial Bank. Colloquially, in our family at least, this was known as ‘The NP’. I had heard people on TV and the radio talk (with a deference which was probably more common back then) about people called ‘MPs’', and being too young to really make sense of the adult world - conflated the two things. I assumed they were talking about what my father did. Ironically, a bit later, the National Provincial merged (or was swallowed up by – I’m not sure which) with the Westminster Bank. That became what we came to know as The National Westminster Bank, then just National Westminster, and which - following a common enough reductive path, we still recognise as Nat West. Big fish will always consume smaller fish, and Nat West itself was eventually absorbed into the Royal Bank of Scotland group (necessitating effective nationalisation for a while after the global financial crisis of 2008). My dad was regrettably long-gone by then, would probably have been bemused by much of it,  and certainly never had any political ambitions that I’m aware of.

In a very real way, I guess I am a product of that world of provincial, branch-based banking. My mother had also started her working life at the National Provincial, and my parents met at her workplace, in the busy fishing port that was her hometown. Her memories of that time included being regularly delegated to administer a satellite operation at the docks, handling large amounts of currency as cash deals were struck over freshly landed catches, and returning with boxes of complementary haddock to share amongst her co-workers. That particular trade is now massively diminished of course, and what remains was long industrialised beyond any such folk-memory. In the intervening years, the old docks became a fascinating, near-derelict zone of lost time, still vaguely ‘perfumed’ by the countless generations of North Sea fish that once passed through it. In some respects, the abandoned, boarded-up buildings that lingered there prefigured the ever-multiplying ranks of vacant bank premises, themselves now awaiting erasure or new occupancy on every high street.

Back in the day, career progression in domestic banking often involved relocating to a new branch with each new promotion. Consequently, we settled in a new (to us - it's actually pretty ancient) town when I was around 5 years old. However, my dad was lucky enough to take one or two more steps up without another move, and so that’s where I did all my real growing-up. Originally, his new branch was in a spectacular timber-framed building built in the mid-sixteenth century. I remember visiting his workplace and being very impressed by the crazy angles of heavy oak beams, and by the fact that the floor seemed to undulate beneath the feet as one crossed the room. I doubt there was a true right-angle in the whole edifice, and it’s possible the mundane world of local banking acquired an unwarranted historical glamour in my mind through being located there. 

The business later transferred to new, purpose-built premises nearby – occupying a bland Modernist insertion into a much older side street. I remember my father recounting the various teething-problems that arose as the new facilities bedded-in, not least the tendency for the alarm system to be triggered with the least provocation. As a key-holder, he was often the first to be called by the police if that occurred out of hours (as was generally the case), and I accompanied him on more than one of these exciting callouts. What seems really astounding now is that, rather than waiting in the car, I would go into the premises with my dad, another of his colleagues, and at least two coppers – all unable to know exactly who or what might be waiting inside. I even remember peering into the strongroom as the incredibly thick steel hatch was opened to ensure no one was hiding inside (much like something from a TV or film thriller). Of course, memory will inevitably romanticise the past, and perhaps everyone else knew it was just another inconvenient false alarm all along - despite having to observe the formalities. Nevertheless, it still seems incredible such things might have happened when the demands of Safeguarding and Health & Safety inescapably came to underpin every aspect of my own day-job.

Nowadays, as local bank branches rapidly disappear, we are naturally brought to the realisation that money was only ever really symbolic anyway. The gradual move away from physicality (bags of coins, the smell of rapidly thumbed notes, the iron clang of the night safe, etc.) began a long time ago but has accelerated exponentially as many aspects of our everyday lives migrate to the digital realm. Back in the 1970s, when ‘cash cards’ first appeared (long before they became the multi-functional debit cards many now increasingly find quaint), bank employees were amongst the first to trial their efficacy. I remember making a special family trip to the sole cashpoint machine in town, to try out my Dad’s new card. We watched as printed instructions spun round on a fabric belt (!), then waited in trepidation - hardly daring to believe the requested notes would actually be spat out. Nowadays - it seems, bricked-up or otherwise barricaded apertures are all that remains of many such terminals - even if some remain to indulge such folk as still value the reassurance of a few notes in the wallet.

As with my previous post, I should emphasise this really isn’t intended as an exercise in self-indulgent nostalgia or in bemoaning the inevitable (and generally mesmerising) processes of change. In fact, it’s always interesting to chart just how many technologies or trades may come and go within the span of one human life (a number that can only rise exponentially, I assume). As the app and the algorithm replace the cash desk and the card slot, I am mostly prompted to reflect on the ways that frictionless virtual narratives and information streams (and the transactions they enfold) are just as intrinsic to the life of the city as the physical features that constitute its fabric. That the clues to all this become ingrained within that very fabric is just a bonus for those, like me, who never tire of investigating our surroundings and seeking the signs.

'This S(c)eptic Isle': Notional Pride 12 (trans_late)

 

All Images: West Leicester, March 2022

The Riverman claimed right away that the Economic Misdeeds Bill is part of the package. The principle is that he manages the assets of the British oligarch with a new register, which obliges foreign companies to verify the name of the beneficiary from the skin. At this hour, as the Vlasniks can have a vikonanny period of 6 months, they will work. What time to be! The oligarchs will fix their names otherwise the stench will precede them - as if they were zatrimani under the sanctions of the new order. Activists also fear that the oligarchs will be guilty within the 18-month window, in order to profit from tributary ports, territory of the United Kingdom, and the region of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. The public may not register large Roku Vlasnikov in business, before the end of 2023.

The measure of tax justice is overtaken by the fact that the legislative acts which can be adopted do not solve the problem in offshore jurisdictions. "There's almost no definition of what isn't," said groupie Wiki Director, Beach Lomax: "These are the styles (of the oligarchs) to brighten up unviable tombstones. I bet most of them are in overseas territories and Royal dominions." It will all be a formalisation of Britain's permanent exclusion from the bully.

Chondrite Watermill MP and Labour MP Magog Rethread, in order to save the treasury near the tributary port, want access to company data in the city. Dame Magog tells Aden Ninette PhD: "They give way to penny sins, like a secret three-way path. Without sumnivu jurisdiction, oligarchs can earn victorious tax havens as 20 dodos, 20 dodos." Labour deputies of the regular government are guilty of new vikonuvaty rights, but tremayutsa ryadovyh zakoniv, which help the oligarchs to steal their pennies, are guilty by reducing the be-yaki range. "Anything to avoid consultants, hulks, real hulks and legit wavers," said Dame Magog: "Children are welcome for everyone. You are guilty of committing criminal offences, Tilki - on the way to Youmu."

Anti-corruption activist, Dribbler Low (a kind of creation for UK magnetic law and, if you will - order) praised more laws. Viv instilled in the oligarchs the fact that it is impossible to just relocate assets - like in the UK, (so in the UK, so in the UK, so in the UK, so in the UK, so in the UK, so in the UK, so in the UK, so in the UK), saying: "In order to remove the oligarchs' access to wealth, Britain must pass the law to be the mother of the Firmi Que Accounting Form" - which act helped the oligarchs create information exchange systems.

MPs and campaigners believe the Economic Misdeeds Bill, which will be heard in the house of Lords on Mondays and Tuesdays, will avenge other glaring shortcomings. Alyson Lush, who is Spotlight's Director of Corruption, points to laziness (there is no true lord). The stench is also respected by those victorious kleptocrats with the path to power, recognised for the 'Submit-Sub-Little-Sub-Little-Subject-Subject', to hide the manifestation. One of them may have 25% of mechanised control. People opine that the oligarchs are being bold, selling some of the shares through their foreign company.

"There are significant gaps in the bay that are really fighting," Lush said: "It will be very important to reconsider the organisations behind the cordon." The floor has many ways of gaining, depending on the apical structures, but colleagues do not support the contribution of the current participations in the bill campaign. Minister of the Interior, Patti Peril (boy-rock, rock all day) can be be passed another period of the economic crisis, about to come to that parliament in Lipni Chi Lipni, because the minister can take all the decisions at the moment.

S.I.T.E. (Midlands Chapter): Location Re-Port (M.)1.3

 

All Images: West Leicester, September 2021

Please refer to: S.I.T.E. (Midlands Chapter): Location Re-Port (M.)1.2 (Addendum)

We are gratified to be able to reveal that our hard-pressed field agent has been able to make a return visit to the site under consideration (despite numerous competing commitments), and (in response to the queries raised by the preceding survey) has supplied the pictorial evidence included here.

We would like to take this opportunity to commend their dedication to our cause at a difficult time, and to put on record our recognition that it is only through the continuing efforts of our researchers in the field, that our work is able to continue - even in the face of the general indifference which has routinely confronted our activities.  We remain steadfast in our conviction that our work is of immense valuable and are optimistic that the significance of the new insights it may one day reveal, will be ultimately recognised by a broad spectrum of the citizenry. 

Whilst these images only serve to underline the profoundly oblique nature of the location under investigation (this being a primary cause of our engagement with it in the first instance), they do confirm the suspicions raised regarding the possibility of some unobserved activity having taken place at the premises in recent weeks.  It is now possible to confirm the presence of some form of floral display, partially visible through the curtain of the main, left hand side window.  Intriguing though this might be in itself, it is the apparent appearance of certain other, even more mysterious items, glimpsed in the same window, that may actually stimulate the greatest conjecture of all.

At this time, we can offer no definitive conclusions regarding these latest developments.  Instead, we are content to pose the following questions, in the hope (as ever) that valuable interpretations may be forthcoming from members of the society, (or other interested parties):

1.  What is the true nature of the flowers?

(a.)  Organic

(b.)  Petrochemical

(c.)  Optical-anomalous

(d.)  Fugitive

(e.)  Imaginary (Mass delusion)

(f. )  Unreliably remembered/revenant 

2.  Who/what triggered their arrival, and what does this imply re. occupation of/visitation to/possession of the site?

3.  Should the flowers prove to be organic in nature, might they be/have been renewed (given the date of the original floral observation vs. expected lifespan of fresh-cut blooms, and also noting the presence of a retail florist business nearby)?

 

4.  What might be interpolated at the intersections of glazing/floristry/veiling/focal length?

5.  What might be the likely function of the flowers?

(a.)  Frivolous display

(b.)  Status-symbolic

(c.)  Bio-investigative

(d.)  Ritual/ceremonial (including tribute and/or sacrifice)

(e.)  Still-life subject assembly

(f. )  Waste disposal (aborted)

(g.)  Composting (unsuccessful)

(h.)  Gestural (poetic/allusive/romantic)

6.  Why don't you send me flowers anymore?

7.  What might be the significance of the other items glimpsed at the margin?  Are they related in any quantifiable manner (e.g. as the result of random conjunctions, or alternatively - of some targeted surrealist intent?).

8.  What does the visible portion of apparent basketry imply?

(a.)  Barter or exchange.

(b.)  Occupational therapy.

(c.)  Some form of potlatch or cargo cult.

9.  Is it possible to identify the mysterious, peripheral figurines - and what might be deduced about their intended purpose?  Possibilities include:

(a.)  Sacred statuary

(b.)  Totemic artefacts

(c.)  Car-boot surplus

(d.)  Guardians of the portal

(e.)  Condensers of (post) irony

(f. )  Crude obscenities

S.I.T.E (Midlands Chapter): Location Re-Port (M.)1.2

 

All Images: West Leicester, August 2021

Recent routine surveys have revealed a notable physical change at the site identified in instalment (M.) 1.1. of this ongoing re-port phase.  The specific details of this change, and any picturesque associations or speculations regarding causation, are included below.

Whilst these observations were made during the first week of August 2021, and filed with Central Office promptly (within the required forty-eight hour period), it is impossible to determine the exact date of the change illustrated in the accompanying images.  A combination of competing commitments, restrictions on movement and travel (pertaining to the current, on-going emergency), and the unfortunate cuts to both funding and (as a result) available resources/staffing levels, have made daily, or even weekly, survey visits to the site impossible.

Whilst we may regret the temporal vagueness that this may engender, we remain confident that the field agent responsible for filing these observations has done their utmost to carry-out their allotted duties in the required manner, and as promptly as the difficult circumstances allow.  We have no reason to doubt their estimate of the change having occurred some time within a time-frame of approximately three to four weeks prior to the formal observation being recorded.  We are satisfied that periodic visits to the site were made over the weeks of Summer 2021, but accept that many of these were of a peremptory nature - with observational rigour being compromised due to the urgency of other, competing site visits or other distractions.

For these reasons, we are content to accept the field-agent in question's identification of the earliest possible date of any considered survey prior to the observed change as falling within a two-day period toward the latter stages of the first week of July 2021.  Whist being indicative of the paucity of accurate time-coding, which unfortunately continues to characterise many of our activities, we would point-out that our performance, in this respect at least, has shown measurable  improvements  over the eighteen-month period since our last formal audit.  As an organisation, we remain committed to making the necessary improvements recommended by the auditors at that time, wherever possible.

As can be observed in the accompanying site images, the observable change takes the form of localised impact damage, inflicted to the right-hand main window of the premises in question.  Although it appears to have been impossible to record a fully frontal image of the building's frontage, comparison with the images included in the original version of this re-port leave little room for doubt that this is the same location.  In passing, we might add that we remain broadly satisfied with the documentary quality of the images filed by this particular  field agent, whilst recommending that further training might be advantageous at some future date, (with specific regard to a deeper understanding of the relationship between objectivity and subjectivity in submitted images).

The damage identified is clearly concentrated slightly to the left of the central glass pane (front elevation).  The overall integrity of the pane, whilst compromised, is (for now) maintained - with the characteristic web-form of the heavily shattered portion, and distinct indentation at its epicentre, suggesting it to be of the laminated variety.  Whether or not this indicates a greater degree of care being invested in the premises than was previously assumed (laminated glazing being generally more expensive), remains a matter of conjecture.

We would draw viewers' attention to the sparser complex of more elongated cracks, extending with a generally diagonal orientation from upper-left to lower-right of the pane.  Whilst of clear structural importance, it is also our view that these add significantly to the overall 'beauty' of this particular visual event.  Indeed it may be the relationship between these wandering, linear fissures, and the denser network of concentric fractures from which they radiate, that stimulates the primary mode of visual tension here.  It should be noted that this is considerably intensified by the bright-sun-lit conditions in which the feature was observed/documented.  The relationship between heightened illumination, and the transparent and potentially brittle characteristics of glass, is one which rarely fails to provide arresting visual effects/implications. Certainly, we would encourage field-agents to pay particular attention to, the influence of illumination, atmosphere and climatic conditions, upon their observations, going forward.

Further reflection upon the particular visual qualities of the physical intervention at this site might also suggest that it represents both a rhizomorphic formation, and a specific moment of gathering intensity, with the connective implications of the former extending away from, but also towards, the latter - whilst remaining within a clearly-bounded frame of reference.  We are also prompted to question whether the overall network of cracks might be read as both a microcosmic charting of territory, as well as a chronologically-orientated record of events.

Whilst engaging with the dimension of temporality, we should also make some reference to the visual relationship between the visual/physical aspects of the window damage (new event), and the aged net curtain behind the glass (prior/on-going event).  Both suggest specific and highly-contrasting purposes (action vs. passivity / aggressive intrusion vs. defensive privacy), unfolding within very different time-frames.  Their interaction might be read both as an accumulation of screens, or contextual filters of potential meaning, and a layering of interference patterns (obscuring/veiling).  However, in maintaining our customary suspicion of purely binary interpretations, we might conclude that 'veiling' might itself also constitute an additional layer of meaning, in addition to its obscuring function.  In either case, it might be observed that the cumulative damage represents clearly imminent lines of flight/egress, and an obstructive stratification of possibility, at one and the same time [1.].

At this stage, it perhaps remains only to consider the motivations or desiring machines at work behind the action thus recorded on the fabric of the site.  Sadly/joyfully, a lack of specific evidence, or first-hand witness accounts mean this remains a matter of conjecture [2.].  That the damage was caused by some hard or sharp (and relatively small) projectile seems beyond reasonable doubt.  That it met the glass with considerable force, is also apparent.  Beyond this, we remain firmly within the realm of 'what if's', (although further research will continue to be carried-out, time/resources permitting).  The relative scarcity of recorded gun-crime in this neighbourhood might lead to the more likely, if prosaic, possibility that the damage was caused by the impact of a thrown stone, or fragment of masonry.  As ever, some purely random conjunction of accidental factors cannot be wholly ruled out.  Nevertheless our prevailing opinion is that the distinct quality of intention emitting from the recorded event appears too profound to ignore.  Whatever else may or may not be signified here, it does seem to suggest a definite desire to 'break-through'.

Should the latter be the case, the exact motivation still remains obscure, existing somewhere on a scale that might include any one of the following: mindless vandalism (possibly alcohol or drug-related), a mis-targeted personal attack, some petty act of direct action in protest against, for instance - the perceived iniquity of property speculation (or perhaps, the site's perennial inscrutability regarding actual function), some dispute (real or imagined) between the perpetrator{s} and the property's owners/operators, or some violent objection to those activities known to, or assumed to be carried out within the premises.  With regard to the latter, we can only refer readers back to certain of the more esoteric speculations raised within the original re-port relating to this site.

As ever, we remain open to any, or all of the possibilities outlined here, and anticipate further developments at this site with interest.  We also welcome any useful information or constructive opinions relating to this specific case, from interested parties outside of our organisation.

Addendum:

Between the writing and publication of this draft, another feature of possible significance has been drawn to our attention.  This relates to the somewhat insubstantial appearance of what appear to be floral blooms in the bottom left corner of the left-hand main window of the premises (see second image above).  From the evidence presented, it is impossible to definitively ascertain whether these are actual flowers situated within the building itself, or simply some illusory reflection from the exterior street.  Whilst it is naturally a matter of some frustration that this observation should not have been made and recorded earlier, it would be yet more remiss of us not to make note of it here.

It goes without saying that the presence of freshly-cut flowers within the building itself would engender a range of new questions regarding the possible status/purpose of the premises, as well as speculations on the activities or rituals potentially carried-out within.  Thus, we have instructed the relevant field agent to revisit the site at the earliest possible opportunity, in the hope of at least shedding more light on the exact nature of these 'phantom blooms'.  We await their report with keen anticipation.  We also note that the whole potential for photography to routinely release such phantoms, is itself a subject worthy of greater examination - far beyond the scope of this re-port process.

 

[1.]:  With regard to the issue of 'layering', and the general fluidity/solidification dichotomy, certain, more sonically focussed, members of the Interpretation Committee have also requested that we append here, a possible linkage to the polyrhythms and overlapping layers of melody or aural texture evident within many forms of contemporary (often electronic) music and sound design.  They continue to regard such avenues of investigation as being on an equal footing with the more visual/literary/philosophical facets of our research.  As a governing body, we see no reason to disagree.

[2.]:  This is, naturally, no obstruction to our activities.  Indeed, it is far from unusual to overhear members observing that not-knowing is at the core of our organisation's purpose.  

Significant Yellow Items: #2021.Y001 & #2021.Y002

 

Item: #2021.Y001, Central Leicester, January 2021

• A pair of closely-related golden portals, separated by a few scant metres, within the same parade of commercial frontages.

• In each case, a palpable air of intrigue is generated, despite the presence of specific clues to the current (or intended) function of the spaces within.

• Such clues can also be read as signifiers of frustrated (or deferred) intention, and active change of use, respectively.

• Both items incorporate textual elements of particular interest - primarily:

1. An Admirably Literal Descriptor (Item: #2021.Y001):  Note how the almost total objectivity of this legend is undercut only in respect of kerning.
2. Phantom Graphics - Relating to Previous Function (Item: #2021.Y002): Whilst the city evinces many such palimpsests, it is unusual to witness one of such chromatic intensity.  What might the failure or disinclination to adjust the colouration of the frontage suggest, regarding short-term planning or opportunistic investment?

• Whilst Items: #2021.Y001 & #2021.Y002 occupy separate physical premises [1.], the correspondence between their shared colour palette is so fortunate as to appear planned [2 & 3.].  In each case, uncompromising fields of saturated, primary yellow (possibly cadmium-derived?) act against cool neutrals and accents of reprographic cyan [4.].  Such juxtaposition might, in other circumstances, evoke vibrant energisation.  However, in current, interlocking contexts, the effect is rather one of despondency or tawdriness (or indicative of misplaced design decisions?) [5.].

Item: #2021.Y002, Central Leicester, January 2021

• The issue of inversion is particularly relevant - notably, in the following respects:

1. Chromatic:  In Item: #2021.Y001 a vivid yellow door radiates from within darker, neutrally-coloured surroundings.  This situation is reversed in Item: #2021.Y002.
2. Geometric:  The overall composition of Item: #2021.Y001 plays out within a landscape format.  The door and associated surround are the only major vertically-orientated elements, within a wider framework of horizontally-inclined rectangular fields (certain small graphic elements being the only exception to this organisational principle).  In the case of Item: #2021.Y002, the overall orientation of the rectangular main components is vertical.  Here, a variety of subsidiary horizontal counterpoints can be found within: upper fan-light glazing and associated, vestigial signage framework (incomplete/damaged), letterbox and associated glazing bar, and respective individual window graphics and doorbell/intercom labels - to left and right of door (see also below).  Notably, each of the latter two categories are themselves organised within vertically-inclined boundaries.
3. Occupancy:  Item: #2021.Y001 appears to be vacant and inoperative, being essentially in a state of either redundancy, or deferred occupation.  Both sets of premises comprising Item: #2021.Y002 exhibit overt or implied evidence of at least partial occupancy.
4. Function:  The overall presentation of Item: #2021.Y001, and certain textual clues displayed within it, indicate its intended function within the hospitality/recreation sectors of the economy.  An associated sense of frustration and/or negation is consequently inevitable, within the current context.  Item: #2021.Y002 reveals a dual purpose - split between the domestic and employment related.  The separation between these two modes of activity plays out in the mirrored sequences of temporary-employment vacancy notifications, and resident idents, mentioned above.  Might they also be reunited around the problematic relationship between precarious employment, and the need to meet regular rent payments?

[1.]:  In the case of Item: #2021.Y002, the cyan features are technically applied to the neighbouring premises (see also below).  However, as these documentary images reveal, the overall visual relationship vastly outweighs any such technical considerations.

[2.]:  A coincidental conversation - conducted whilst documenting these items, suggests shared ownership of both enterprises comprised within Item: #2021.Y002.  Whether or not this relationship extends to Item #2021.Y001, remains unconfirmed.

[3.]:  The relationship between chance and intention (within the urban context, and beyond), is a subject whose parameters extend beyond the scope of this post.

[4.]:  Likewise: the relationship between the physically manifested and mechanically-reproduced aspects of the visual city. 

[5.]:  How often are the dual (contradictory) expressive functions of yellow witnessed within the urban environment?

S.I.T.E. (Midlands Chapter): Location Re-Port (M.)1.1

All Images: West Leicester, November 2020

Our records show reveal that the premises in question have been under consistent observation for at least two decades.  Initial identification of the site as being one of particular interest, actually appears to date from the previous century.  Whilst no specific date can be attributed to the first discussions on the matter, anecdotal accounts point to some time in the mid 1990s.  It also appears likely that the earliest formal observations were initiated from within the premises immediately opposite - which has functioned as a bar and restaurant since that period.  As is well understood, the partially engaged - but neutrally contemplative frame of mind, typically entered into whilst gazing through a street-facing window (possibly in company, and whilst enjoying some form of refreshment), is that in which our most fruitful observations are often performed.

For the purposes of this report, we have chosen to assume a date of 15 June 1995, as the nominal starting point for this particular site falling within our remit.  If, as is certainly possible, some awareness of the location predates that point in time, it is worth noting that a degree of unreliable recall often plays a constructive part in our work, generally. In any case, it is really only the actual moment of a building or other site 'revealing itself', with sufficient subjectivity for consistent observations to commence, that really matters.  As we know, this may occur without prior warning, even where pre-existing familiarity exists.  Whilst these moments lie at the core of our practice, it is also the case that they are not always formally recorded at the time, due to  the distracting nature of spontaneous recognition.  The attachment of some arbitrary date retrospectively, thus becomes a necessity, in a surprising number of cases [1.].

Unusually, for a site under such long-term scrutiny, the images accompanying this report appear to be the only ones available, and have been collected relatively recently.  As they show - the location is subject to the kind of exclusion zone to which we have all become accustomed in the current climate.  Exactly why no earlier photographs were taken, is uncertain, and one might rue the lack of accompanying metadata which might have facilitated more accurate dating.  However, it is important to note that, as the use of digital photography was not part of our process in the era of our envisaged start-date, we would remain dependent upon the accompaniment of an accurate manual record - even were contemporaneous images available.  As it is, we must be satisfied with what little visual evidence we have in this case, and in the absence of more - be prepared to take at face value the reported impressions and accounts from memory that are available.  As noted above, the inherent subjectivity such accounts may engender, may actually prove to be of more use in many respects.

What is notable, is that the premises appear to have remained relatively unchanged, to all intents and purposes, throughout the entire span of our observations.  One can only ruminate upon the general processes of entropy which may have exerted themselves over the fabric of the building during this extended period.  A degree of wear and tear is inevitable - if only from the effects of weather and materials break-down alone, regardless of any direct human intervention which may, or may not have occurred.  In this case, however, no such human activity has ever been observed, making inertia and stasis the key characteristics of this particular location.

Furthermore - as can be seen, the building itself reveals very few clues to either its original or current function.  Whilst the frontage is typical of commercial or retail premises, with large display windows to either side of the entrance door, it offers no information regarding any specific business, or other activity, which may have been carried out within.  Identifying and/or metaphorical signage are both notable by their complete absence, and the dilapidated paintwork is of a nondescript brown colour which almost seems designed to disavow any cultural association with a specific trade or generic enterprise.  The profoundly anonymous aspect has remained intact over the entire period of our involvement with the location.

It is true that, in the past, certain speculations have arisen - based on claims of a palpably 'funereal' aura emanating from the site.  This impression is perhaps magnified by a degree of discretion suggested by the matching curtains (partially water-damaged) veiling each window.  However, it is our current opinion that the 'shop' frontage possesses neither the scale, implied dignity or vestigial grandeur one would normally associate with a typical locus of the undertaking trade.  If the presence of a prominent extractor-fan unit in the glazed panel over the door might suggest some association with food retail (or possibly catering) - no other clues are offered that might reinforce such a connection.  The glazed tiles one might occasionally observe on the frontage of such food-related outlets are notably absent here - with only featureless (faux?) granite panels occupying the spaces between windows and pavement.  Again, no specific attribution can be made from the evidence available.

As can be seen, the only remaining details worthy of note at this stage, are the prominent alarm unit (with associated window alerts), and a few miscellaneous items - dimly visible beyond the (un-curtained) upper window panes.  The alarm system (clearly post-dating the construction of the premises), affirm that this site, or at least something held within, remain of value to some individual or organisation.  Such an observation might even lead to speculations about someone or something 'hiding in plain site', if viewed in a sufficiently oblique light.  Unsurprisingly, the aforementioned visible objects offer little by way of obvious connections or any coherent narrative.  What might initially resemble some form of modestly decorative frame, appears, on closer scrutiny, to possess a somewhat more functional quality - not least once the gridded nature of its central aperture is recognised.  If it is - as appears possible, a component of some larger assembly, our attempts to identify the exact nature of this remain unsuccessful, to date. What does seem likely is that the object may be designed to permit the communication of air, heat, sound, or some other equally ethereal manifestation [2.].

Also visible in the right hand upper window, is a portion of some equally unidentifiable wooden item.  Reminiscent of some piece of dated furniture (or part of), this object betrays a mildly decorative aspect - in the form of its arched moulding and pattern of parallel, slots.  It also betrays considerable dilapidation.  First impressions have suggested this item might in fact be some item of furniture; a folding chair of some outmoded design, in particular.  More detailed study raises some doubts in respect of this - relating not least, to the modest scale of the object in question.  Such a chair (were it to be such) would be suitable only for a child, one imagines.  Certain questions have arisen regarding how these items might be supported.  The most likely explanation might be that they are positioned on some form of display shelving - the phantom shapes of which do appear visible behind the main window curtains.  This automatically feeds back into our speculations around what manner of merchandise might once have been arrayed upon them. 

However, such practical considerations have done little to stifle the line of free-associative thought which stemmed from the initial notion of the wooden object as part of a chair [3.].  in certain quarters this has even led to speculation around the premises having been - at some stage, the venue for some kind of assembly, perhaps of an occasional nature.  Despite any more coherent evidence for this (or perhaps because of it), conjecture has even arisen that such meetings might have been of some esoteric, or even occult, nature.  If such fevered imaginings are attributable simply to the palpable lack of any contradictory clues at the site, it should be remembered that this is exactly what brought it to our attention in the first place.  Consequently, we choose to keep an open mind regarding such matters, at least for the purposes of this report. 

Finally, specific mention should also be made of the remaining group of items visible through the upper windows to the left-hand-side of the frontage.  Although most clearly discernible in visual terms, these are also the hardest to identify.  Seemingly comprising four stacks of strangely interlocking, scalloped elements of ring-like formation - they resemble nothing that has previously been observed at any other site.  That the objects appear to be constructed of card (or perhaps some plastic material), suggests the possibility of their being some form of reinforced, self-assembly packaging material.  Exactly for what, however - remains a mystery [4.].  One alternative suggestion (rom the same source as the 'esoteric assembly' theory, alluded to above), is that these almost 'crown-like' items might constitute a variety of ritual headgear associated with such a congregation.

Conclusion:

Whatever the real conditions or circumstances relating to this site may be, there can be little doubt it represents one of the most intriguing in our current catalogue.  it is our recommendation that the premises remain under observation - without time-limit, and that any significant findings or theories relating to it, be included in future reports.  What does seem undeniable, is its status as a distinct lacuna within the commercial, recreational, or psychic activity of the surrounding street.  as such, it clearly has the potential to represent some portal or egress - of exactly the kind to which our organisation has chosen to identify and exploit.   

[1.]:  Current thinking on the subject suggests that, in many cases, this may actually be a strength - rather than mere evidence of sloppy record-keeping.  Certainly - as is generally now recognised, an acceptance of the flexible and relative (as opposed to reductively linear) nature of time is key to our activities.  In this context, the recording of specific dates, whilst nominally instructive, may also be regarded as something akin to dropping sticks into a flowing stream, (or perhaps - marbles onto a blanket).

[2.]:  Such oblique speculations are, it goes without stating, to be encouraged wherever deemed appropriate.  We welcome any future attempts to join such dots as may emerge from continued scrutiny of this site.  Any such theories - deemed to lie within the stated parameters of our wider project, will be appended to future drafts of this report.

[3.]:  It seems pertinent to remind ourselves here, that (often mistaken) first impressions (and the often highly fictional narratives they may provoke), are as important an aspect of our work (if not more so), as more considered research - carried out in a less subjective frame of mind.  Clearly, we should remain vigilant to the danger of our activities from degraded by mere 'facts', whenever possible.

[4.]:  Suggestions (however fanciful), are obviously invited.