For those of you who have heard the term -’embodied energy’- here are a couple of examples.  For those of you who haven’t – my simple explanation (others are available) is the time and effort already taken to create or fashion something adds value to it.  The stone chimney cope detail, for instance, has already been excavated from a quarry, dimensioned, transported to a stonemasons or to site, shaped and fashioned by a craftsman then installed on the chimney.  It shouldn’t then be thrown in landfill – where’s the sense in that?  There is much greater sense to re-use it – even if it is for a planter or some other use.  Buildings with finer details than this are still being destroyed on a daily basis.
The hammer-blows can bee seen on this simple iron gatepost.  Imagine how much effort and time was put into that.
The dilapidated building that’s slowly crumbling – no-one can afford to build like this any more – it’s just too much effort and expense.  Should it not be prevented from deteriorating further?