Saturday, December 27, 2008
Victorian Roller Derby!
An 1895 issue of The Strand magazine includes this (unbuilt) design for city buildings to have ramp access (!) -- not for wheelchairs, mind you, but to keep up with the Victorian craze for roller skates:
As the writer notes: "Pedestrians could... just stand erect at the top of the slope, and allow themselves to travel down without further effort -- unless it be to maintain equilibrium or to avoid violent contact with fellow-skaters."
Really, I think violent contact between top-hatted and hoop-skirted skaters would be the point of building this.
As the writer notes: "Pedestrians could... just stand erect at the top of the slope, and allow themselves to travel down without further effort -- unless it be to maintain equilibrium or to avoid violent contact with fellow-skaters."
Really, I think violent contact between top-hatted and hoop-skirted skaters would be the point of building this.
