Old Photos For No Reason Whatsoever

[I should coco]

The 'eggbox' extension that lasted about a quarter of a century.

Cortina MkII(?) and a BT Viva HA van with that annoying 'Busby' cartoon bird logo on the back door. In a long line of crap BT ads ("it's an ology"), I had quite happily forgotten about the annoying yellow little bird.

Woman walking away from the Cortina has C&A knickers on and shoes from Dolcis. The bloke on the left with his back to camera died in 2003 by choking on a plastic dinosaur in a Christmas Cracker.

Me and my mates are probably sat in the Peace Gardens eating a pie and drinking a pint of milk from the little bakery on Norfolk St, opposite Redgates (RIP).

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

The 'eggbox' extension that lasted about a quarter of a century.

Cortina MkII(?) and a BT Viva HA van with that annoying 'Busby' cartoon bird logo on the back door. In a long line of crap BT ads ("it's an ology"), I had quite happily forgotten about the annoying yellow little bird.

Woman walking away from the Cortina has C&A knickers on and shoes from Dolcis. The bloke on the left with his back to camera died in 2003 by choking on a plastic dinosaur in a Christmas Cracker.

Me and my mates are probably sat in the Peace Gardens eating a pie and drinking a pint of milk from the little bakery on Norfolk St, opposite Redgates (RIP).

Who the fuck do you think you are Silent Blade?

 

[I should coco]

Who the fuck do you think you are Silent Blade?

Nah, most of his stuff is useful, accurate and helpful.

Myself on the other hand.........

 

[ghandi]

Worked on the Wicker in 76-77 and used to eat the excellent giant sausage sandwiches at The Station pub right by the arches.

Circa the same time I used to have lunchtime chip butties in the Brown Cow. Proper chips in a chip pan. Wasn't the best diet in the world but it was certainly the best lunchtimes.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Nah, most of his stuff is useful, accurate and helpful.

Myself on the other hand.........

I don't want to brag or boast or big myself up (well, yes I do actually) but I asked him a United related question last week and he got the answer WRONG.

#Ibeatsilentblade

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

 

[Stretch]

Been said on here numerous times before, but I still cannot quite believe that anyone would demolish the buildings to the right of the picture below, to make way for the monstrosity above.

Absolutely criminal and the main 'logic' /reasoning behind why our city centre lacks so much charm today.

 

[Eddiecolquhounsleg]

Been said on here numerous times before, but I still cannot quite believe that anyone would demolish the buildings to the right of the picture below, to make way for the monstrosity above.

Absolutely criminal and the main 'logic' /reasoning behind why our city centre lacks so much charm today.






View attachment 49351

Think I've said this before, but the building with the clock tower at the top was on the corner of Norfolk Street and Howard Street. On the corner was a "boutique" called Lift up Your Skirts and Fly. My sister worked there in the late 1960s and you could actually access the upper floors from the back of the shop

Those floors were in a very poor state of repair with large holes in the floor and rotting plasterwork etc. They were not fit for repair. You have to remember that the council would probably not have owned any of the buildings in the photo and they would have been left to go to rack and ruin by the owners (think, old Town Hall on Haymarket as a current example)

I think there was little or nothing the council could have done about this.

Having said that the "Eggbox" extension to the Town Hall was a disaster architecturally to many people. The original plan was for all the extension to be built in the same stone as the Town Hall,and it would, over the years, have mellowed and blended in. However, value engineering took over and the main panels above ground level were made of a coloured concrete and remained a sickly yellow until it was demolished.

It did have a very nice rooftop garden and I would go there ocassionally for my lunch.

 

[Stretch]

Think I've said this before, but the building with the clock tower at the top was on the corner of Norfolk Street and Howard Street. On the corner was a "boutique" called Lift up Your Skirts and Fly. My sister worked there in the late 1960s and you could actually access the upper floors from the back of the shop

Those floors were in a very poor state of repair with large holes in the floor and rotting plasterwork etc. They were not fit for repair. You have to remember that the council would probably not have owned any of the buildings in the photo and they would have been left to go to rack and ruin by the owners (think, old Town Hall on Haymarket as a current example)

I think there was little or nothing the council could have done about this.

Having said that the "Eggbox" extension to the Town Hall was a disaster architecturally to many people. The original plan was for all the extension to be built in the same stone as the Town Hall,and it would, over the years, have mellowed and blended in. However, value engineering took over and the main panels above ground level were made of a coloured concrete and remained a sickly yellow until it was demolished.

It did have a very nice rooftop garden and I would go there ocassionally for my lunch.

Fair point about the ownership of the buildings, and something I have raised on here myself. I certainly don't blame the council for everything. It's just a shame that the clearances happened on the scale that they did, completely transforming the character of the city centre forever. Simply maintaining the facades of just some the old buildings would have made all the difference.

 

[Eddiecolquhounsleg]

I agree that there was a haste to get rid of what we would call landmark buildings now to put up bland boxes, but after the war there was a necessity to clear and rebuild quickly, and that is why we have a lot of inconsequential buildings in the city centre.
The demolition that always galls me is the bank building on the corner of Fitzalan Square and Commercial Street. It was demolished for a dual carriageway, which, within a generation, was downgraded again.

 

[Stretch]

I agree that there was a haste to get rid of what we would call landmark buildings now to put up bland boxes, but after the war there was a necessity to clear and rebuild quickly, and that is why we have a lot of inconsequential buildings in the city centre.
The demolition that always galls me is the bank building on the corner of Fitzalan Square and Commercial Street. It was demolished for a dual carriageway, which, within a generation, was downgraded again.
View attachment 49353

Yes in terms of utter wastefulness, this really does take some beating. A stunning little building, gone forever.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

The 'eggbox' extension that lasted about a quarter of a century.

25 years for a public building is a fucking disgrace - same with the fire station dropped a few years back behind Coles. What a waste on money. Yes both buildings were shit, but we can't be putting buildings up, that sort of size for just 25 years.

Having said that - it's bloody easy when it's not actually YOUR money you are spending.

 

[I should coco]

same with the fire station dropped a few years back behind Coles. What a waste on money. Yes both buildings were shit, but we can't be putting buildings up, that sort of size for just 25 years.

Who'd have thought that a fire station smack bang in the middle of town might suffer from severe traffic congestion?

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Who'd have thought that a fire station smack bang in the middle of town might suffer from severe traffic congestion?

Agreed - but the building seemed so one dimensional and couldn't be re-used.

The big red monstrosity at Moorfoot will be the next in a few years.

 

[Lucky Polo's]

The 'eggbox' extension that lasted about a quarter of a century.

Cortina MkII(?) and a BT Viva HA van with that annoying 'Busby' cartoon bird logo on the back door. In a long line of crap BT ads ("it's an ology"), I had quite happily forgotten about the annoying yellow little bird.

Woman walking away from the Cortina has C&A knickers on and shoes from Dolcis. The bloke on the left with his back to camera died in 2003 by choking on a plastic dinosaur in a Christmas Cracker.

Me and my mates are probably sat in the Peace Gardens eating a pie and drinking a pint of milk from the little bakery on Norfolk St, opposite Redgates (RIP).

Incoming pedant alert...

It's an Opel Rekord D, the BT van is a Bedford Beagle.

Pedantry over.

 

[BushBlade]

25 years for a public building is a fucking disgrace - same with the fire station dropped a few years back behind Coles. What a waste on money. Yes both buildings were shit, but we can't be putting buildings up, that sort of size for just 25 years.

Having said that - it's bloody easy when it's not actually YOUR money you are spending.

Apparently that’s the design life of a lot of the new hotels. The requirements change so much that it’s cheaper to just throw something up that fits the current regs then demolish it and rebuild in 25 years to the new regs, than to keep trying to upgrade.

 

[Lucky Polo's]

Not to mention https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Valley_Stadium

 

[William Large]

One of the most underrated strikers in my time watching the blades. Often forgotten about and barely mentioned. Grafter and finisher. Class.

 

[I should coco]

Incoming pedant alert...

It's an Opel Rekord D, the BT van is a Bedford Beagle.

Pedantry over.

I've given you a like for the Opel but you're wrong on the van.

The Bedford Beagle was an adapted estate made from the van and not an official Vauxhall/Bedford model. The van is, as I said, based on the Viva MkI known as HA. When the new viva (HB) came along they didn't change the van, but just stuck with the old one.

HA


HB

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

 

[Therealfurphy]

I've got loads going back quite a time. I'll put some more up later

Excellent SEB

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Entrance to Fitzalan market.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

 

[I should coco]

Dixon Lane.

When I were a lad in the 70s, the building front left had been replaced by Woolies/Woolco.

They had a donut making machine just inside the door on that corner where you queued up and salivated. The little rings of dough were chucked in boiling oil, tunrend over a couple of times then dried and dumped in sugar. After bneing hauled around Sheaf and Castle markets for hours ("Carrots are 1d cheaper back where we started....") this was our reward!

Then the 95 to my grandad's in Netherthorpe, fish and chips and a walk to the Lane. Life were grand for a lad then, in simple times.

 

[Shalalalafenoughty]

I cut most of my betting teeth in that Joe Coral shop.

The other ones I frequented were Ladbrokes at Jordanthorpe (a favourite haunt of Ted Hemsley’s) and Joe Thorpe’s on Barnsley Road (when I was a sixth-former at De La Salle).

 

[Sean Thornton]

 

[I should coco]

I spent the summer of 82 working in the S&E Co-op there, but I don't think I ever bought any ladies shoes.

Did Audrey Hepburn used to buy her stage shoes there?

 

[Mad Mick]

Dempsey's plastic sandals were legendary. It was a coffee bar when the flats were first built.

 

[Sean Thornton]

I spent the summer of 82 working in the S&E Co-op there, but I don't think I ever bought any ladies shoes.

Did Audrey Hepburn used to buy her stage shoes there?

The only time Audrey came onto the flats it was to spend time with me in the garages near the Link.

My mates kids have told stories about a weird bloke who worked at the Co-op......