Early Risers.

[leopardml2341]

38 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

My brother worked there. Allegedly it was the second highest fire risk site (whatever that meant)  in Coventry. One day there was an announcement that following a fire elsewhere they were now the top site. 

It's cos it used to be a cycle/motor cycle factory and the (wooden) floors were soaked through with oil - I heard that same story about the highest fire risk having burnt down, but I can't for the life of me remember what that company was.

[simontaylor484]

Morning all from a wet West Yorkshire.

Both branches of the bank i worked at have closed.

Bison at Iver closed i believe Bison Leeds become Treanor Pujol.

Cannon Group based in Abingdon went bust i believe the contract packing side still exists.

Pontefract police station is now a car park for Haribo

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from Sidcup where the weather is a subdued grey to match the mood. In addition to the footie disappointment, Mrs Lurker and Elder Lurker will now have to miss the British GP because their self isolation period has been extended. That's a real arse, not least because Mrs Lurker paid for the tickets in the first place; she can get a refund but only for all four tickets, but as things stand Younger Lurker and I will still go. Assuming he doesn't get a positive case in his close circle at school....

 

I was going to say that all of the buildings in which I worked are still standing but that is not actually the case; the offices of my first summer job in town (Lloyds Bank International - who were fx traders - on the corner of Bucklersbury and Queen Victoria Street has disappeared under the Bucklersbury centre, and also Britannic House (third summer job in town) has also been demolished to make way for City Point. Britannic House was I believe the tallest building in London when it was first built but was superseded by the Post Office Tower. When I was a young child my Dad took us up to the viewing gallery from where we could gaze down and the antlike people. Even then, I was most impressed that I could see trains!

[jamie92208]

36 minutes ago, leopardml2341 said:

It's cos it used to be a cycle/motor cycle factory and the (wooden) floors were soaked through with oil - I heard that same story about the highest fire risk having burnt down, but I can't for the life of me remember what that company was.

Like all the old mill buildings in Yorkshire that have become fire trapa as they are soaked in Lanolin from wool. 

 

Jamie

[simontaylor484]

18 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Like all the old mill buildings in Yorkshire that have become fire trapa as they are soaked in Lanolin from wool. 

 

Jamie

Its the floorboards that are are soaked in the stuff.

We had a warehouse that was deemed a higher fire risk it was full of palletised glass bottles awaiting repacking, according to the fire inspector the neck of the bottles create a chimney effect

[Barry O]

Still chuckinitdarn  here.. no cricket..pah!

 

1st job was at British Aerospace Dynamics in St Evenage. Part of site still in use 

2nd job JET at Culham..still in use

3rd job RO Plc/ Vickers Defence Barnbow.. site cleared for new housing

4th job NG Bailey.. various places but twu sites (in Ilkley and Salford) sold

5th job  working from home.. still here 

 

Last full time job..BAE Submarines Barrow.. additional buildings have been built there since I left.

 

@TheQ  GEC still exists.. it may be called BAE Systems but is run like GEC used to be.. too many bean counters..not enough good managers in all the wrong jobs...

 

Baz

[PupCam]

Clear Prop!

 

Morning chaps (remember afternoon doesn't start until aftermunch in the Puppers household and the lunchtime rolls are cooking as I type).

 

Again not much happening in Puppersland still due to a distinct lack of blood pressure and energy.      Still, the GP phoned me this morning and "is on the case" which is a significant improvement from the days a few months back when I had to engage "Puppers Patented 'pointment Process" just to get a chance of a telephonic communication.     The next scheduled medical procedure is next week so I can stand easy for now.

 

In other news:

 

Software developments for the DCC++EX wireless hand-controller for the 7mm 08 are progressing well.     Much research is being done on the interweb to find out as much about the operation and systems of the real 08 locomotive as possible.    I have to say it's fascinating but of course highlights how little an aerospace engineer (and I would guess all from other disciplines as well) actually knows about the subject!     As I wish to adopt a "finescale" modelling approach to the acoustic and operational aspects  of the locomotive (just for the hell of it really) you've got to know what your modelling first, just the same as modelling any other aspect really.    

 

I've found a couple of interesting  RMWeb threads on air and vacuum brake which I note have contributions from some ERs and some other interesting websites.    If there's anyone on here with real experience of how the real 08 operates please shout as I'd like to learn from that experience.    Anyway, so far the sound effects for the brake systems now take care of themselves (crudely at he moment and subject to further refinement) as far as they should which is good 'cos I can't remember all the function key codes

 

Progress can be followed here if you're interested.

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/165695-dcc-ex-one-approach-to-a-user-interface/

 

Anyway, best wishes to all who are less than 100% and special thoughts for Gordon.

 

Alan

 

 

 

 

[Pacific231G]

2 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

I think a lot of my workplaces still exist but at least 5 of them have been demolished. 1 because of concrete cancer, 2 for housing and at least 1 as part of a PFI deal. Surprisingly the oldest one, Dewsbury Road in Leeds, is still in use as offices.

 

Jamie

Good noontime all.

I think most of my former workplaces still exist but most of them have been repurposed. 

The Langham, the former posh London hotel where I was taught how to make wireless programmes, is a posh London hotel again (It was "lived in" and not posh at all when the BBC had it)  

 

Bush House, the spritual home of BBC World Service, is now leased by Kings's College (University of London) 

 

Television Centre still looks much the same though most of the offices are now apartments (sales slogan Live at Television Centre - playing on the two pronunciations of live). Three of the eight production studios remain as such and, not long ago, I was in the audience for a quiz show pilot (that thankfully never saw the light of day) The studio seemed remarkably  unchanged since the the last time I'd directed a live programme there in the early 1990s.

 

The former South Western Hotel in Southampton, where some of the Titanic's passengers spent their last ever night ashore and where I worked in the early 1980s, is now apartments. 

 

The nondescript Villiers House above Ealing Broadway station, typical of office buildings built above BR stations in the 1960s,  is still an office building though I'm sure the current owners would not like to hear it described as nondescript.

 

Ealing Studios - for a long time the BBC Television Film Studios (known to all as TFS)- where we had our film cutting rooms-  is back to being a commercial film studios and media industry complex.  

 

I was listening to a programme, on I think World Service a day or so ago, about how much energy we waste by constantly demolishing buildings and replacing them with new ones that are themselves demolished after a few years. The energy  incorporated in a large building is enormous so reusing and refurbishing existing ones makes far better sense  as would dismantling rather than demolishiing buildings that genuinely aren't suitable for further use. 

Edited July 12, 2021 by Pacific231G

[simontaylor484]

In response to Pacific 231G some  buildings become life expired due to changes in processes. Warehousing for example take a typical Railway warehouse it may have had 4 floors whereas now warehouses are single storey monster sheds racking floor to ceiling using reach trucks or even robotic picking. Hospitals are another building that become obsolete due to changes both in medical practice and science. 

Not to mention the 60s housing estates built in utopian dreams that didnt last due to various reasons

Edited July 12, 2021 by simontaylor484
Further thoughts

[TheSignalEngineer]

46 minutes ago, Barry O said:

GEC still exists.. it may be called BAE Systems but is run like GEC used to be.. too many bean counters..not enough good managers in all the wrong jobs...

Sounds a bit like the privatised railway.

[TheQ]

Ist School, still open and in use, Ballykelly Primary School

2nd School Demolished , housing estate, St James primary school Wiltshire

3rd School , Demolished, "Academy" built along side, Tidworth Down Secondary Modern Boys School

4th School, Now a community centre, Eochar Sgoil

 5th School all the temporary buildings demolished, just the original building left , half the pupils, Inverness High school, our accommodation, now flats

CAA training College Bletchley... Now Bletchley Park Museum.

RAF Swinderby, demolished now a housing estate.

RAF Locking, demolished Now a Housing estate,

RAF West Drayton, demolished housing estate,

RAF Neatishead, Now the RAF RADAR museum,

RAF Staxton Wold, still open, but the building I worked in Demolished,

RAF Benbecula, still open but moved site, the buildings I worked in, Demolished, most married quarters now in civilian use. You can rent our old house as holiday accommodation!!

RAF Boulmer , still open , the buildings I worked in, Demolished,

GEC Marconi / Ferranti, original buildings demolished, new buildings we moved into just before I left, now another company.. not related.

RAF Coningsby.. buildings another use,

RAF Scampton, buildings abandoned, to be demolished,

RAF Leeming, buildings another use.

RAF Leuchars, now an army camp,

BAE Warton, buildings still in use,

RAF Sealand, now an industrial estate

RAF Mount Pleasant, buildings still in use

MOD Boscombe Down, buildings another use.

RSAF Dhahran,.. open,  buildings abandoned, our accommodation  demolished.

RASF Tubuk , open, building used for something else..

Bacton Gas works, now another company running the place, much reduce staff,

Tesco.. Still going..

Where I am now.. still here but smaller staff...

 

 Keep on moving before I get demolished..

 

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by TheQ

[leopardml2341]

5 minutes ago, TheQ said:

GEC Marconi / Ferranti, original buildings demolished, new buildings we moved into just before I left, now another company.. not related.

 

RAF Coningsby.. buildings another use,

 

BAE Warton, buildings still in use,

 

RSAF Dhahran,.. open,  buildings abandoned,

 

 

 

When were you at those places? - I had involvement with Marconi/Ferranti in the mid to late 80's and early nineties with Tornado Aircraft (and latterly a tender for TCMS whilst at Metro Cammell) Coningsby Warton and Dhahran (Al Yamamah) - again all Tornado related, perhaps our paths crossed/ran parallel for a time?

[TheQ]

Coningsby and Warton I was visiting for about a month each year to calibrate equipments  from 1988 to 1996, RSAF Dhahran from 1996 to about late 1999 when we moved to Tobuk where I left in 2001

[leopardml2341]

1 minute ago, TheQ said:

Coningsby and Warton I was visiting for about a month each year to calibrate equipments  from 1988 to 1996, RSAF Dhahran from 1996 to about late 1999 when we moved to Tobuk where I left in 2001

I was at Warton from '86 to end of '89 - (part of that time in SA) so we may have met on 'South Side'.

[The Lurker]

Now Q has mentioned schools too...

 

Paddock Wood County Primary - infants. Buildings demolished and under houses

Tanglin Prep - school has moved and is now part of a larger school - building now replaced by Brunei embassy

Paddock Wood County Primary - juniors - burned down one spectacular Tuesday evening in the late 70's /early 1980s. It felt like the whole village turned up to watch and there was a big cheer as the roof fell in. My sister who was still at the school was away that night but didn't believe it had happened when she got back, until she looked out of her bedroom window the next day to see the smouldering ruins! Was rebuilt on the same site but I think has later been rebuilt again. 

Judd School - that's still there and I think most of the buildings are there too.

[TheQ]

Yep south side, entering via Freckleton and what looked like  farm yards, I think the test stations were on something like the third floor, (it might have been second, there seemed to be a lot of stairs..) and the main annual cal was normally in December.

Edited July 12, 2021 by TheQ

[Pacific231G]

52 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

In response to Pacific 231G some  buildings become life expired due to changes in processes. Warehousing for example take a typical Railway warehouse it may have had 4 floors whereas now warehouses are single storey monster sheds racking floor to ceiling using reach trucks or even robotic picking. Hospitals are another building that become obsolete due to changes both in medical practice and science. 

Not to mention the 60s housing estates built in utopian dreams that didnt last due to various reasons

That's perfectly true of some buildings Simon but an awful lot of buildings are only demolished and replaced because of corporate vanity and the desire of people (not only architects) to create monuments to themselves. A well built ralway warehouse may not be ideal as a warehouse but many Victorian warehouses have been succesfully reused for other purposes. 

 

The 60s housing estates were a good example. Many of them replaced earlier housing which, though not up to standard as they were, could very well have been refurbished (and often have been) as their basic structure was usually sound.  The problem there was precisely  that architects and planners had bought into utopian dreams of "planned environments" without actually consulting (or better yet living with) the people whose lives they sought to plan. Real communities tend to develop gradually and organically which is the antithesis of large scale redevelopment. Think how many perfectly good town centres were torn out and replaced with "Arndale Centres" etc. that are now themselves being demolished. Not only has this created urban environments that are frankly horrible but creating them required an awful lot of steel, cement and concrete.

Edited July 12, 2021 by Pacific231G

[The White Rabbit]

Grey, wet day so far. Dreich this morning, then some heavier rain so far this pm. 

 

I think all the buildings I've worked in are still there, though some are in different use, the two newsagents I worked at when a youngster are now a private house and a cafe. The model shop is now a different type of shop. The various offices are still offices, though given the pestilence's impact on WFH and city centre offices, I wonder whether that will be true in a few years time. 

 

Sometimes demolition seems like the only option but I agree re-use is better where it's possible. Though cleaning up old buildings (such as mills) can be expensive in money and resources because of former trades. 

 

Thinking about work needs to change to doing... back later.

[Winslow Boy]

So places I've worked. Not as many as Q I'm afraid and mainly in or around London apart from the final two.

 

So we start with a converted sports/cafe pavilion repurposed as Park offices. It was in the middle of the park, West Ham Park, and in summer months we used to get people asking for ice creams. Still there but not certain it's still an office as the department was merged.

 

Then there was the office block, eighth floor- we used binoculars to see the parks, in the middle of Ilford. Had a multi storey car park attached with free parking. Not certain if it's still there.

 

Moving on there was an ex town hall at Frien Barnet followed by another tower block, Barnet House. Second floor this time.

 

Then there was the shopping centre and then an ex call centre. Parking was a absolute and you had to fight for a space.

 

Finally there was the town hall which I believe is still there. The leader of the council did propose moving everybody out so the building could be rented out. The less said about the parking the better.

 

So quite a range of buildings. It is often the way with parks and open spaces that they get shoved into the most inappropriate buildings.

 

Still raining here by the way. So much for showers.

[Barry O]

Some office blocks have been turned into apartments or hotels. Big problems concern concrete cancer and the height of individual ceilings. The latter means you struggle to get services in (especially in a reinforced concrete floor or ceiling.  An expensive business doing the conversions.. although they still get done in some instances (City House in Leeds above the station is an example of a Poulson design building being refurbished and renamed).

 

Baz

 

 

PS still raining.. anyone got a boat I can borrow???

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Pacific231G said:

Many of them replaced earlier housing which, though not up to standard as they were, could very well have been refurbished (and often have been) as their basic structure was usually sound.

My brother in law was brought up in Tottenham. While he was away at university his parents house was compulsorily purchased to enable the Broadwater Farm estate to be built. The council rated the house as unfit for human habitation and offered derisory compensation. One night a mysterious visitor to their house arrived with documentation demonstrating alleged dubious practice.  The parents got a nice Edwardian semi in Winchmore Hill.  

[simontaylor484]

Poulsons former offices were pre pandemic a childrens soft play area and a doggy hydrotherapy pool. There was a building at my high school designed by him that still exists. Also the eyesore Pontefract library and the Horesfair flats that are visable for miles. His former home Menassah is still a local landmark although it has been drastically altered externally recently. I'm not sure about his jail cell though.

Lately office space in town has been converted to residential property but they have no parking provided.

Edited July 12, 2021 by simontaylor484
Further thoughts

[grandadbob]

Thundering and lightning muchly here with torrential rain.  I'm wondering how long the tarpaulin will hold on the roof of the house over the road as it came adrift twice yesterday.   He's now got all the tiles from one side off.  I foresee a leak or two.

More spreading of stony stuff done in The Shed.  I'm already bored with it and I'm only about 25% done!

[Andrew P]

Three cracks of Thunder earlier but no rain.

 

Now some rain.

 

Looking a bit bleak

[New Haven Neil]

Poulson?   Ruined the centre of Newcastle.

 

Morning!  Ish.  Late call, huge honey-do list completed, but only just got in from leaving early doors.

 

Poly, the D20 was in one of the early 'group' photos, around the time your acquisition was shown! A couple eked out their last years rumbling around Newcastle Central as pilots and on little trundles up to Alnmouth.  Out of my pocket money range I'm afraid by a long way.

 

Off to start dinner, back later.