People talked about the death of canals for a long time, yet they're still going strong. Their use changed, and their new use as a leisure activity will remain. Some people are still predicting the demise of railways, yet never come up with a sensible answer for how you transport lots of people around very efficiently. Driverless cars will not solve all problems because they have the same problem that a car today has.
So I'd say canals and railways will still be here. No doubt the technology used on the railways will have changed, but it will still be there.
I'm sure most of the pub buildings will remain too, as will the churches. Maybe they will have new uses. But people will still want leisure activities after all. Hey, Marple may even have a swimming pool at that point. Probably the second or third replacement for our currently closed one.
As for businesses, how many businesses are that long lasting? Besides pubs - although with them the name tends to stay the same but the owners change. Using Google Streetview you can look at Marple's shopping streets (the ones that allow traffic) and how they've changed since 2009. Who remembers Balti Massala and La Femme Chic?
It's interesting to note how many of those businesses are still here even 13 years later and how many are long gone. Family businesses often last much longer than others, but most businesses aren't run by families. Nothing lasts forever. Just recently No. 48 closed its doors as the owners retired. An era ended.
Sometimes I look at the old photos on visitmarple.co.uk and marvel at how much has changed. And sometimes I marvel at how something definitely haven't. In the highly unlikely scenario that I'm wandering around Marple in 2122, I suspect that's what I'd see. Things I recognise. Things I don't.
