Edinburgh Panorama, with carbuncles

Those being the University's David Hume and Appleton Towers, with the Commonwealth Pool chimney. But the main blot on the horizon is, for me, Appleton Tower. Edinburgh's planning committee in the 60s obviously did not think to consider the impact of these buildings on the skyline, and certainly did not think the cladding tiles would look anything other than gleamingly modern and optimistic. Their patchy greyness is horribly visible from Liberton Brae (I was at Mount Vernon cemetary today) and both distorts and overwhelms what should be a beautifully European skyline of rooftops, spires and battlements. Worst of all, from this angle it almost renders the medieval crown spire of St Giles insignificant.

An hour later, and only a dark grey silhouette of the whole skyline was visible as the clouds burst overhead.

Appleton Tower looms high between my office window and its view of the Pentlands, so my negative feelings are perhaps heightened!