"remain in the the state they are now in until they perish of their own accord" .......Antwerp ... one to listen to

Now I like the town ordinance from Antwerp which sought to ban the practice of smearing pitch and grease on the wooden facade of domestic properties.

The danger of fire and the destruction of whole swathes of Antwerp are all too obvious, and so the ordinance not only prohibited the construction of new houses with fronts of wood, but demanded that covering them with inflammable material should stop, adding that the buildings  "remain in the the state they are now in until they perish of their own accord" .......should stop adding that the buildings

The ordinance was passed in 1546, was repeated four decades later, and in the late 19th century there were still such houses in existence..... Not perhaps the best example of effective local government.

But it is a piece of social history from a fascinating series which runs all this week on Radio 4 between 9.45 and 10 am, and is repeated in the early hours, and is a "vivid and lively account of Antwerp's glory years takes us back to the 16th century when the city is transformed into a rich and cultured European powerhouse. Michael Begley reads.

Michael Pye's history of Antwerp is a fascinating account of the city during it's golden age. Told through character studies, novels, paintings, songs, inventories and city ordinances, an evocative portrait emerges. 

Transformed into a trading powerhouse, nationals from all over Europe converged in Antwerp, making deals and enjoying the free and easy manners in a place where scandal and heresy was tolerated, and fortunes could be made almost over night. It's not long before religious divisions, and bellicose heads of state bring about an end to the city's tolerance, and it's financial prowess.

Michael Pye is the author of twelve previous books which have been translated into fifteen languages. He has worked as a journalist, broadcaster and columnist in London and New York.

Abridged by Richard Hamilton

Produced by Elizabeth Allard"

Picture; View of Antwerp with Frozen Schelde, Lucas van Valckenborch:, 1593, The Städel Museum, Frankfurt, taken from Antwerp, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antwerp

*A Golden Dawn, Radio 4, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00120rq