I think Kevin McCloud had a programme on Channel 4 a couple of years ago, where you could nominate a building for demolition. Lots of buildings are listed as being architecturally significant and are protected. Kevin suggested that there should be an X list of buildings that should be pulled down. Sunderland railway station was on the programme but did not quite make it. Cumbernauld shopping centre won. Anyway, I would like to start this with the building just to the right of the Wearmouth Bridge as you look north. There are plenty more, the upper level of the railway station for a start but just wondered what everyone else thought

Just remembered the programme was called Demolition and the "Get Carter" car park in Gateshead was on and Westgate House, Newcastle. Interestingly both have been demolished. Apologies if this has already been mentioned on here before but I am still new to this forum.

Crowtree Leisure Centre for me. Real shame the council's let it run down as a facility, but in terms of the architecture, it's a monstrosity, especially when viewed from the Minster and Armshouses.

Crowtree Leisure Centre for me. Real shame the council's let it run down as a facility, but in terms of the architecture, it's a monstrosity, especially when viewed from the Minster and Armshouses.

Crowtree has to be up there and would win hands down anywhere else, but there is one more building in Sunderland City Centre more deserving of the wrecking ball I think:

The old Littlewoods/T.J. Hughes building at the north end of the station block (ideally, I would like the whole block pulled down but it isn't all this bad). It has a grey colour scheme, with its main components being painted concrete and breeze block, with tiny little excuses for windows. The ground floor does not respond to the street at all, in a good and important City Centre street (Union Street). Its an abomination, basically. I would like to ask the person who designed it how they ever thought it would look good.

Crowtree was once the largest space frame in the country. According to a former tutor mine.

The TJ Hughes building really is awful especially when you consider the old station building it replaced. For me, the whole of the street outside the station running from high street to holmeside should be on the X list, although I have no confidence that anything better would be built at the moment, which is part of the problem with these demolition demands.

The TJ Hughes building really is awful especially when you consider the old station building it replaced. For me, the whole of the street outside the station running from high street to holmeside should be on the X list, although I have no confidence that anything better would be built at the moment, which is part of the problem with these demolition demands.

I agree. This block is at the very heart of the City Centre and should reflect the urban density, scale and quality of building required around transport hubs.

When looking at plans for an above-ground station building, the Council should consider this within a masterplan for the whole area. The masterplan area should include the station block as mentioned (including the building in front of the station concourse with the clock that doesn't work), the east end of the Bridges, Market Square and the buildings opposite the T.J. Hughes building.

Addressing this area as a priority could make a real difference to people's perceptions of the City Centre. You have to think that if we prioritise this area, Crowtree, Holmeside and Vaux for major redevelopment, we would have a transformed City Centre. There are so many great things in the City Centre; Sunniside, Mowbray Park, the Minster, the Winter Gardens, the Empire Theatre, Fawcett Street, John Street. These great things are blighted by the above monstrosities, and these monstrosities spoil people's perceptions and are therefore really damaging to the City overall.

I would agree with the Crowtree Centre, ----it does look awful especially when looking from the Minster and Almshouses, as has been said.

An excellent idea for a thread.

I have to agree with YM and Talisker's suggestion - the Littlewoods building on Union Street/High Street West - which we've discussed on here previously. The old ATS building, Mackem35's choice, is also one which I find infuriating.

I'll have a think about further nominations before I submit them.

Courtesy of Jimmy Cook, here's the aforementioned, now derelict, ATS building (centre of shot):

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs560.ash2/148230_10150134918997837_574067836_7950331_2747560_n.jpg

Further nominations for consideration:

Every Metro station on the Sunderland line, with the exception of St Peters and Park Lane
The whole of the Sunniside Leisure development
Newcastle Road Bowling Alley/Reg Vardy garage/Roker Retail Park

Hopefully the latter of these suggestions will be razed very shortly (albeit for a Tesco).

Is the reg vardy garage you refer to the same as the richard hardie garage, or has that one gone? It certainly is a mess round there, basically from the old swimming baths to the row of shops past the roundabout. A few more horrors: The building on the corner of fawcett street and high street (on the opposite site of the road to the RBS), the new bowling alley/bingo complex (riverside quarter), and the building occupied by JJB sports on high street. I think in the latter case a new facade was added to the original building. Google street view link: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=High+Street+west,+Sunderland&sll=54.807762,-1.434881&sspn=0.011798,0.042186&g=High+Street,+Sunderland&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=High+St+W,+Sunderland,+Tyne+And+Wear+SR1,+United+Kingdom&ll=54.907483,-1.382539&spn=0,0.005273&z=18&layer=c&cbll=54.907467,-1.38272&panoid=xWv2LSJrroc4IWV-5RQTaQ&cbp=12,320.63,,0,-21.83
Look down the allyway and you can see the remains of what looked to be a rather fine public house.

"the building occupied by JJB sports on high street. I think in the latter case a new facade was added to the original building. Google street view link: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&so...0.63,,0,-21.83
Look down the allyway and you can see the remains of what looked to be a rather fine public house"

Walked through that allyway a few times and noted the rather fine tiles on the side of the building.
Would that be the pub with the Alloa Ales signs in the Sunderland Old Photo's thread? (Opposite the entrance to the railway station)

"the building occupied by JJB sports on high street. I think in the latter case a new facade was added to the original building. Google street view link: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&so...0.63,,0,-21.83
Look down the allyway and you can see the remains of what looked to be a rather fine public house"

Walked through that allyway a few times and noted the rather fine tiles on the side of the building.
Would that be the pub with the Alloa Ales signs in the Sunderland Old Photo's thread? (Opposite the entrance to the railway station)


Not sure if that is the same Pub marra,---could be wrong, --but it could have been the Central, --and it also had a nickname which slips my mind, ---memory ain't like it was though.:nuts::lol:

Not sure if that is the same Pub marra,---could be wrong, --but it could have been the Central, --and it also had a nickname which slips my mind, ---memory ain't like it was though.:nuts::lol:

Thought the Central was the one round the corner, though the back door would come into the adjacent lane. I understand that the Central had a certain "reputation" shall we say.

On a more serious note Kingdom Bhoy may pop along later with the name.

Looked at the first picture in post #302 on Sunderland Old Photo's - the Pub name appears to be "Three Crowns", though someone may well know it by another another name.

This will probably start a discussion about old pub names in Sunderland and how few of them are left.

I personally like 'the mackem' - a name that I'm sure a few geordies feel justifies putting it on the x-list. The was another pub behind the wheatsheef called 'keano's' while he was in charge of sunderland AFC. Not sure if it's still open, I think it was called the 'terminus' the last time I checked.

Thought the Central was the one round the corner, though the back door would come into the adjacent lane. I understand that the Central had a certain "reputation" shall we say.

On a more serious note Kingdom Bhoy may pop along later with the name.

Looked at the first picture in post #302 on Sunderland Old Photo's - the Pub name appears to be "Three Crowns", though someone may well know it by another another name.

This will probably start a discussion about old pub names in Sunderland and how few of them are left.


Aye, --with the Central being on Bridge Street, --I thought it might back onto the Alleyway, --- and still can't remember the Pubs nickname though.:)

Is the reg vardy garage you refer to the same as the richard hardie garage, or has that one gone? It certainly is a mess round there, basically from the old swimming baths to the row of shops past the roundabout. A few more horrors: The building on the corner of fawcett street and high street (on the opposite site of the road to the RBS), the new bowling alley/bingo complex (riverside quarter), and the building occupied by JJB sports on high street. I think in the latter case a new facade was added to the original building. Google street view link: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=High+Street+west,+Sunderland&sll=54.807762,-1.434881&sspn=0.011798,0.042186&g=High+Street,+Sunderland&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=High+St+W,+Sunderland,+Tyne+And+Wear+SR1,+United+Kingdom&ll=54.907483,-1.382539&spn=0,0.005273&z=18&layer=c&cbll=54.907467,-1.38272&panoid=xWv2LSJrroc4IWV-5RQTaQ&cbp=12,320.63,,0,-21.83
Look down the allyway and you can see the remains of what looked to be a rather fine public house.

No it's a separate site; I think the Richard Hardie one was adjacent to the swimming baths, but was demolished some time ago. I remember discussions about it in the main Sunderland Full Summary thread, before the subforum came about. The Reg Vardy one is between the bowling alley and Kwik Fit. As you say, the whole of that stretch is in a bad way.

I personally like 'the mackem' - a name that I'm sure a few geordies feel justifies putting it on the x-list. The was another pub behind the wheatsheef called 'keano's' while he was in charge of sunderland AFC. Not sure if it's still open, I think it was called the 'terminus' the last time I checked.

An absolute dive, it has to be said. The Wheatsheaf is a fine public house, and I'm pleased to see it back open, though it seems to be attracting some of the Terminus's clientele.

On the subject of the Central, it was known for a while as the Shitty Tavern, at a time when it was still going by its previous name. I think it was also known as the Fawcett Street Inn for rather less poetic reasons.

The old Locarno/Bowling alley, --and areas around it have been looking shabby for some time now, ----lets hope the Tesco proposals begin soon.

I would nominate the Civic Centre. Apart from the fact it gave the knobheads of the Council an excuse to demolish the Town Hall, it is brutal inhuman architecture which looks as if it comes from a Terminator movie.

I would nominate the Civic Centre. Apart from the fact it gave the knobheads of the Council an excuse to demolish the Town Hall, it is brutal inhuman architecture which looks as if it comes from a Terminator movie.

I think I must be the only person in Sunderland that *likes* the Civic Centre. The attention to detail and the constant repeat of the hexagon is amazing. And to be fair, it is one of the few buildings in Sunderland designed by an architect of international renown.

I was in Wellington, NZ a couple of years ago and went on a tour of their Parliament. The modern extension (nicknamed 'The Beehive') is also a Spence building and is very reminiscent of the Civic - and seems to arouse similar opinions locally! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beehive_(New_Zealand)

The Council do seem to be letting the Civic slowly decay though - car park's in a right state and most of the public-facing functions have moved to Fawcett Street. Bet they end up in some glass palace on the Vaux site and sell the Civic for housing or as an expansion of the Holmeside site.

I would nominate the Civic Centre. Apart from the fact it gave the knobheads of the Council an excuse to demolish the Town Hall, it is brutal inhuman architecture which looks as if it comes from a Terminator movie.


Yes I agree, ----the Decision to Demolish the Magnificent Town Hall was in my mind --nothing short of Criminal, -----as for the Civic Centre, --I have never taken to this building, --there are certain views of it that remind me of the Kremlin, ----and to think it was designed by Sir Basil Spence, --although his style was sometimes known as Modernist/Brutalist.

I think I must be the only person in Sunderland that *likes* the Civic Centre. The attention to detail and the constant repeat of the hexagon is amazing. And to be fair, it is one of the few buildings in Sunderland designed by an architect of international renown.

I was in Wellington, NZ a couple of years ago and went on a tour of their Parliament. The modern extension (nicknamed 'The Beehive') is also a Spence building and is very reminiscent of the Civic - and seems to arouse similar opinions locally! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beehive_(New_Zealand)

The Council do seem to be letting the Civic slowly decay though - car park's in a right state and most of the public-facing functions have moved to Fawcett Street. Bet they end up in some glass palace on the Vaux site and sell the Civic for housing or as an expansion of the Holmeside site.

Well the thing is that when the CC was built it covered most of a park (Building Hill) and entailed the demolition of the Fawcett Street station (disused since 1879) the original terminus of the line from Durham. I'd never considered the point that a lot of the Council functions have been moved into the old Binns building, more or less across the road from the Town Hall site - how ironic is that?

PS I just followed your "Beehive" link - DAMN that thing is ugly! Maybe we should be "Twin Towned" with them?

Well the thing is that when the CC was built it covered most of a park (Building Hill) and entailed the demolition of the Fawcett Street station (disused since 1879) the original terminus of the line from Durham. I'd never considered the point that a lot of the Council functions have been moved into the old Binns building, more or less across the road from the Town Hall site - how ironic is that?


...and the Social Services department (or whatever they call it these days) occupies Cassaton House, the old North of England building, which was built on the site of the Town Hall.

Apart from the irony, the fact that the Council now occupies the building formerly occupied by our local building society and the best part of one half of our House of Fraser does sum up the decline of the private sector in Sunderland nicely.