Demolition and futility

[999tigger]

Grosvernor was well and truly past its sell by. It wast even that big. faschinating watching him knock it down. V solid as its slow the way they are doing it. Buildings get knocked down all the time. Catsle market and extension to tow hall good riddance tbh (although CM was a more intersting place to visit. Times have moved on, cars and the internet have helped change people shopping habits completely.

 

The things I rememver was how packed the entrance to Sheaf market was with a sea of people, same on the Moor. Only see that in Meadowhall now.

[samssong]

Grosvernor was well and truly past its sell by. It wast even that big. faschinating watching him knock it down. V solid as its slow the way they are doing it. Buildings get knocked down all the time. Catsle market and extension to tow hall good riddance tbh (although CM was a more intersting place to visit. Times have moved on, cars and the internet have helped change people shopping habits completely.

 

The things I rememver was how packed the entrance to Sheaf market was with a sea of people, same on the Moor. Only see that in Meadowhall now.

Just a few short months ago TJ Hughes on High Street was packed to the rafters with shoppers . you had to wait in line to get through the doors .

So what did they do they move it just about as far as possible from the Town centre to the new Market building and now it is spot the customer.

[ECCOnoob]

Just a few short months ago TJ Hughes on High Street was packed to the rafters with shoppers . you had to wait in line to get through the doors .

So what did they do they move it just about as far as possible from the Town centre to the new Market building and now it is spot the customer.

 

A few short months ago? Really?

 

That would be the TJ Hughes that moved out of High Street in November 2012 then.

 

Packed with shoppers you say? Waiting in line to get though the doors you say?

 

That will of course be the TJ Hughes whose parent companies went into Administration twice and whose business was so popular with us shoppers they had to close 43 out of their 57 stores.

 

Take off the rose tinted mate.

 

You seem to be making out that evolution of a city centre and the replacement of old to new is a bad thing. Lets not pretend we are talking about some well used, listed and historically important structures here.

 

We are talking about the decaying and abandoned Grosvenor House whose hotel operations were already in decline and whose standards had dropped from a premier hotel choice to a DSS overspill.

 

The concrete block known as Castle Market. Yeah really precious that. Would have been even more pointless if it remained considering the rest of the shopping areas are at the other end of the city.

 

As for the eggbox civil services offices. You are not telling me that you would seriously prefer that thing still standing compared to what we have now.

 

Times change. Population changes. Trends change. Demands change.

 

A city that wants to survive changes with it. Those that dont, remain stagnant.

 

For all the self inflicted attacks this place gets its nothing compared to some of the real stagnant cities and towns. Anyone who bitches and moans about Sheffield being behind the times needs to have a wander round places like Coventry, Stoke on Trent, Bedford or Middlesborough.

 

You make out like buildings such as Don Valley and Eggbox are some pop up tent that were gone in a few years. Time seems to have slipped you by. Don Valley Stadium stood for 23 years. The eggbox for 25 years. Sometimes things just happen to have a shelf life. Sometimes things just stop being fit for purpose.

Edited January 18, 2017 by ECCOnoob

[Bob Arctor]

The planning at the time was unique .

Take the streets in the sky as one example , Hyde Park and Park Hill .

The plan was for the thousands who moved to the areas to be able to walk into Town without crossing a road , the paths lead from the top of Shewsbury Road and down across the Park Hill roundabout straight into Sheffields prime shopping areas around the Castle Market (built at the same time so as to be part of the grand plan.

 

Less than fifty years later the whole Market area has been decimated ,the paths have been shut off and!!!! the flats that where built as social housing have been given away to private enterprise who then sell them on to well healed folk who can not wait to tell who ever will listen how marvellous it is to live so close to the City centre and enjoy the wonderful views on offer.

 

While all this grand planning from the council goes on young people are sleeping on the streets or having to live with mam and dad for ever as they will never get a home of their own.

 

As to the Market area it is now after a thousand years of being the major trading area in our City reduced to a derelict wilderness while at the same time being speculated on by the same daft planners as being one day a tourist area .

Crackers!!!!!

 

---------- Post added 18-01-2017 at 20:23 ----------

 

Gleadless Valley????

 

The concept of Gleadless Valley was clearly a good one but one wonders why that estate in particular has become such a low demand area. Does the design lend itself to antisocial and criminal behaviour or is there another reason? It's not all bad by any means but it has some persistent problems and living on Ironside and Blackstock has not been easy for quite some time now.

[crookedspire]

As someone who has an interest in Sheffield's history and have seen photos of many lost buildings I have mixed impressions to be honest. The Egg box never took to it but the old registery office locally known as the 'wedding cake ' was pretty cool then they are others that leave one to think what if ? Given the housing problems we have now would the flats complexs like Hyde Park or Kevin would they have gone an long way to address this issue yes their were problems with them but they could have housed many in need .

 

It comes down to personal taste changing fashions no city is an museum piece as for the Grosvenor Hotel it has had its day like Hallam Tower Hotel now an rotting shell awaiting the wrecking ball to arrive.

[samssong]

The concept of Gleadless Valley was clearly a good one but one wonders why that estate in particular has become such a low demand area. Does the design lend itself to antisocial and criminal behaviour or is there another reason? It's not all bad by any means but it has some persistent problems and living on Ironside and Blackstock has not been easy for quite some time now.

The Estate had visitors from all corners of the World to marvel at its 60's Architecture and lay out .

What has happened is that the Council have moved people into certain areas that where previously occupied by good hard working Sheffielders,

 

This has lead to drug problems leading to many of the houses now being unkept and in a poor state .

 

Many of the original tenants have now left due to the tossss pots that have been plonked in their mist.

 

Not the fault of the estate or its design , the fault lies with the councils letting policy, this should make sure that it does not allow people onto good honest working class areas that the councillors would not have living next door to themselves.

I know first hand what has happened on the Valley because I my self left due to this very problem.

 

---------- Post added 18-01-2017 at 22:25 ----------

 

As someone who has an interest in Sheffield's history and have seen photos of many lost buildings I have mixed impressions to be honest. The Egg box never took to it but the old registery office locally known as the 'wedding cake ' was pretty cool then they are others that leave one to think what if ? Given the housing problems we have now would the flats complexs like Hyde Park or Kevin would they have gone an long way to address this issue yes their were problems with them but they could have housed many in need .

 

It comes down to personal taste changing fashions no city is an museum piece as for the Grosvenor Hotel it has had its day like Hallam Tower Hotel now an rotting shell awaiting the wrecking ball to arrive.

The egg box was not the best Architecturally (whose fault was that?) but it was a good addition to the Town Hall as it allowed all the officers and services in the same building .

This saved thousands over the years as no one had to travel the length and breadth of the City to various departments unlike now with all the traffic problems that entails.

 

The piece gardens now look magnificent but the Town Hall extension was a good logical idea that went the way of so many others in this City.

[ECCOnoob]

 

The egg box was not the best Architecturally (whose fault was that?) but it was a good addition to the Town Hall as it allowed all the officers and services in the same building .

This saved thousands over the years as no one had to travel the length and breadth of the City to various departments unlike now with all the traffic problems that entails.

 

Im not sure that's quite right.

 

Even in Eggbox era it was not as simple as everyone being under one roof.

 

Departments were still scattered around located in the old town hall, eggbox extension, Redvers House, Meersbrook House, Castle Market Tower, Leopold Street.

 

Like I said earlier, evolution. Now we have a very similar set up with the old town hall remaining plus the additions of Howden House, Derwent House New Bank House and a large amount of staff in Moorfoot Building.

[samssong]

This is a very interesting thread and it has set me thinking about the new Architecture that has sprung up since the University became the major player in our City .

 

Brook Hill the centre of their Architectural input is a blooody mess, a mess that has led to buildings that are cladded in garish plastic or tin coverings that make one wonder just who are these wiss kids who sit down and design such utter crapp .

 

The last effort on Brook Hill that looks like a golf ball covered in tinsel takes the biscuit as the worst building ever to get past the planners in this town .

 

It completely dominates and hides the wonderful architecture of St Georges Church and the brilliant Victorian buildings on the streets below .

 

---------- Post added 18-01-2017 at 22:44 ----------

 

Im not sure that's quite right.

 

Even in Eggbox era it was not as simple as everyone being under one roof.

 

Departments were still scattered around located in the old town hall, eggbox extension, Redvers House, Meersbrook House, Castle Market Tower, Leopold Street.

 

Like I said earlier, evolution. Now we have a very similar set up with the old town hall remaining plus the additions of Howden House, Derwent House New Bank House and a large amount of staff in Moorfoot Building.

All I can go on is my own experience when the Egg box was in its prime .

"Planning dept sir no problem just around the corner" "building inspectors up the stairs through the first door" "public health just straight across" and so on .

You could pay the rates or report your leaking gutters all in the same building and even use the bog without a pass.

Edited January 18, 2017 by samssong

[mickey finn]

what cooling towers?

 

Maybe it was the big silly eyesores that used to let soppers know they were "back int Sheffield".

[Bob Arctor]

Im not sure that's quite right.

 

Even in Eggbox era it was not as simple as everyone being under one roof.

 

Departments were still scattered around located in the old town hall, eggbox extension, Redvers House, Meersbrook House, Castle Market Tower, Leopold Street.

 

Like I said earlier, evolution. Now we have a very similar set up with the old town hall remaining plus the additions of Howden House, Derwent House New Bank House and a large amount of staff in Moorfoot Building.

 

New Bank House is now student accommodation and there are virtually no SCC staff left in the Town Hall.