Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Dec 18, 2019 7:29:45 GMT
Theres not much fun to be had, nipping down to the outside bog at midnight in a cold December. When Bolly & me first got married we lived in a big Victorian house. It didnt have an outside crapper, but the inside bog was upstairs along a very long landing. Whenever my one brother and his Mrs visited he would never use the bog upstairs as the house was haunted and he was petrified to go upstairs and venture down the landing even with the light on. In desperation he'd go down the garden or go home early. Those houses had so much character and appeal. Unlike anything built today. Gene. My Gt Nan lived in a house similar to that in Guernsey, when the islands were occupied by the Nazis, she was turfed out of her house (or threatened to be shot if she didn't) as the house at the time gave a great view looking towards France/Jersey and to the North of the island towards England. She packed a few things, and jumped on the next ferry to Southampton where they remained for the rest of War.
On their return, the house was full of left over German Memorbilia - paperwork, weapons, uniforms etc. My Gt Grandfather and Grandfather burnt the lot of it..... At the time no one wanted to even mention Germany.
That house, too was haunted - I hated the upstairs landings - always cold up there, and always had these feeling that "something" was watching you.
I'd give my right arm to spend a couple of days in there these days.
Indeed, the Victorian buildings always fascinate me - they build stuff to last (and it did) - most of it stood through 2 wars - and even over the years the buildings didn't get too shabby, and still looked respectable. They have a lot of character, and also the Victorians loved ironwork too, so buildings would have bespoke Railings, Fences, Gates etc surrounding them.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Dec 18, 2019 13:40:30 GMT
Here's some photos...
ATV Centre Birmingham - front entrance from Suffolk St end. This from 1980. The windows above the canopy are for the Staff Canteen and Executive Dining Room. By the time of this photo, the building had been open only 10 years. Worryingly, there was only another 17years left before it was closed.
This is the same entrance, but in 2008 - shortly before demolition work began.
Considering the building was now 28 years old - this side of it didn't look that bad.
This is the rear (technical) entrance on Bridge Street, from 2008.
The building itself doesn't look too bad, much of the muck and crap on the building appears to be rust from window frames. This side of the building and a few room within was used as an exterior in the BBC1 drama "Survivors" in 2007/08. The Central Sign which should have been above the door on the left had been nicked. The Railings had been painted in "Central" colours. They looked dreadful - like a bloody circus. At the far end on the street on the left is a bog standard late 60s NCP Carpark - all concrete and stinks of urine. All of this are has now been cleared.
Derby Midland Station - this the original frontage, designed - I think by Francis Thompson. This photo was taken in 1985, literally just before work began... (see next photo)
A little later on in 1985, and the scene was this. Taken from the opposite angle. The only bit that was saved is the clock and the surrounding stone work; which is now built at the end of the new station carpark. Everything on the left now, no longer exists.
The station looked quite shabby by 1985; though with a little cleaning up - the frontage, at least could have been cleaned up. The building that replaced it, and that now - isn't a patch on this.
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Batgirl
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Post by Batgirl on Dec 18, 2019 14:37:29 GMT
Whenever my one brother and his Mrs visited he would never use the bog upstairs as the house was haunted and he was petrified to go upstairs and venture down the landing even with the light on. What the ? Come on Gene, you've got to share a little bit more about that.
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Dec 18, 2019 15:52:49 GMT
Sad that both of those buildings have gone, the TV centre and, even more so the station. Manchester Victoria is another loss, the frontage has been kept, but the rest of it has been drastically altered. It was reduced from 14 platforms to 5, and the Arena, where the bomb went off at the Ariane Grande concert, was built on top of the remaining part.
The old station was a fascinating rabbit Warren which hadn't changed much since the days of the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway, it was their headquarters too, and it was brilliant. The new version is cramped and it's now to full capacity which suggests that it was reduced too much.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Dec 18, 2019 16:15:53 GMT
Whenever my one brother and his Mrs visited he would never use the bog upstairs as the house was haunted and he was petrified to go upstairs and venture down the landing even with the light on. What the ? Come on Gene, you've got to share a little bit more about that. Go on Guv, spill the beans
I've got a few haunted building tales and a photo too.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Dec 18, 2019 16:23:35 GMT
Sad that both of those buildings have gone, the TV centre and, even more so the station. Manchester Victoria is another loss, the frontage has been kept, but the rest of it has been drastically altered. It was reduced from 14 platforms to 5, and the Arena, where the bomb went off at the Ariane Grande concert, was built on top of the remaining part. The old station was a fascinating rabbit Warren which hadn't changed much since the days of the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway, it was their headquarters too, and it was brilliant. The new version is cramped and it's now to full capacity which suggests that it was reduced too much. I visited Manchester Victoria station just before work commenced for it's recent refurb. I loved the whole atmosphere of the main station; at the time, most of it was dedicated to trams, with a couple of platforms for the Northern services to Leeds. The other part of the station (under the arena) was (like Birmingham New St) too dingy and dark.
Manchester Vic in it's day must have looked great.
What's the old station by Manchester Picc? Is that the old Mayfield Station? That's been derelict for years.
The ATV (later Central) studios had a very short lifetime compared to a lot of buildings. It opened in March 1970, when ATV became Central Television in 1982 - a building on Broad St was purchased - the old Engineeing Tech College, and a small link bridge added to the studio complex behind. This provided head office and additional office space.
Major studio work was virtually none existent by 1990 (much of it moved to Nottingham), by 1994 - all that was happening there was transmission and the local news.
For it's day, it is one of the few concrete buildings that I thought looked quite good.
Though the Bridge St end didn't quite fit in with the Victorian Birmingham Canal buildings and wharfs behind it. (Much of that is listed)
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Post by D.C. Burtonshaw on Dec 18, 2019 19:21:31 GMT
The 2nd picture down of the ATV studios building still looks serviceable and bang up to date, seems a waste but the powers that be and these days of reorganising etc doesn't warrant the maintainence I suppose.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Dec 20, 2019 7:21:18 GMT
The 2nd picture down of the ATV studios building still looks serviceable and bang up to date, seems a waste but the powers that be and these days of reorganising etc doesn't warrant the maintainence I suppose. The front entrance did look quite tidy, right up until demolition started. Though, either side of the front entrance were a couple of small night clubs, which only seemed to be open for about a month, and then the owners vanish and the places seemed to be boarded up longer than they were actually occupied.
The rear entrance on Bridge St looked awful with all the rust and crap running down the sides.
When demolition of the front entrance started, the metal canopy was dismantled, and inside they found the original 1970 "ATV" sign off that canopy front.
It nearly ended up in a skip, until a mate offered £20 to a demolition worker to retrieve it.... it's ruddy massive and sits in his back room in manchester!
How he got it in his car I'll never know.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Dec 23, 2019 12:11:19 GMT
Some more...
The old ABC Cinema - East St - Derby.
This my old stomping ground, most Saturday mornings - until 1984. It was a magnificent building; opened inthe mid 1930s, and the frontage all lit up in Neon. This photo was taken in 1981, by this time the "EMI" branding had been added, the cinema had been split up into 3 screen (one large one on the Balcony and 2 smaller screens in the Stalls).
It closed on the 14th July 1984, and was demolished about 2 months after. All that stands now is the "Abbey National" building to it's left. The Organ was preserved.
In it's day it would have looked impressive. I always loved Art Deco.
In 1984, after the above closed; the Derby Odeon (former Gaumount) closed - and then ABC moved into there. They remained here until 1988 when it closed as a "Cannon Cinema". This building is still there, though it now a Nightclub/Food Outlet. This pic took around 1981. Again - this was split into 3 screens during the 1970s. By the time ABC owned it - they only had one large screen on the old Balcony - the stalls area had become a Bingo Hall.
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