Buddhist Buildings – research project and blog

Today I had a merry browse of a blog relating to an English Heritage funded research project that is taking a close look at Buddhist buildings around England. Building Buddhism is being carried out by Dr Emma Tomalin and Caroline Starkey, at the University of Leeds. As well as giving some background information about the research project, the blog details some visits to major Buddhist sites. Both the sites documented so far – Jamyang London, and the Triratna London Buddhist Centre – are converted Victorian buildings, and the ways in which the buildings have been adjusted to their new uses is rather intriguing. Jamyang used to be a courthouse, and retains many features from its history, including the prison cells (now bedrooms!). The Triratna centre is in a magnificent old fire station, and again it has been sympathetically – and energetically – renovated. I heartily recommend taking a closer look at the blog with its stunning photographs and very readable accounts of the sites. I hope the project will expand to cover Scotland too at some stage…