In the southwest of England, King Charles III closely followed the development of the town of Poundbury. This village has the distinction of having been imagined by the king of the United Kingdom.
Poundbury is one of the most important projects in the life of Charles III. It is a city built on virgin land, at the beginning of the 1990s, at the instigation of the king with the help of several architects. 30 years later, the initial project is almost finished and the city has more than 4,000 inhabitants. Charles III wanted it to be faithful to his vision of architecture, transcribed in A Vision of Britain, a book published in 1989. That is to say, turned towards the 19th century, at the antipodes of post-war constructions that Charles III hate.
Charles III took part in drawing up the plans, regularly supervised the work and visits Poundbury at least twice a year. His accession to the throne upset that pace, as his schedule changed drastically. But his will is always present in the development of this city.
The project was mocked in its early days for its Hollywood studio-like cardboard appearance. But the gradual arrival of new inhabitants has changed the situation. The village has become a peri-urban district of Dorchester, a town of over 20,000 inhabitants.
A “model” city consistent with the vision of Charles III
While strolling there, one quickly discovers its unique aspect. At the microphone of TF1, Jason Bowerman, property development manager for the Duchy of Cornwall, details the style of Poundbury: “You have places with Victorian or Edwardian architecture, others with Georgian style. It’s a mix of different styles over 200 or 300 years.” The houses are therefore recent, but they seem to be centuries old.
In Poundbury, almost no trace of concrete, but rather stone and local materials. The yellow ground marking does not appear, not to the king’s taste. Charles III imposes his rules in the city according to Françoise Ha, president of the association of residents of the city: “You cannot have a television antenna visible on the roof, you cannot leave your garbage cans in front of the house, you “You can’t paint your door any color. Poundbury, you have to have wooden window frames, you can’t have PVC windows in your house, you have to take care of them and repaint them regularly.”
After a sluggish start, the city has gained in charm and interest from the British since apart from the 35% of social housing, the rest of the houses have seen their prices soar.