All our cities have had disasters or planning catastrophes that have led to some of the finest buildings being lost forever. What do you think was the best building in your city to be demolished?

For me, it has to be the Manchester Assize Courts. Designed by Alfred Waterhouse and 85m tall. Demolished in the 1950s because of bomb damage during the war. :(

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/5111TheManchesterAssizeCourts_pic1.jpg

For London, it would have to be Old St Paul's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_St_Paul%27s#.27Old_St_Paul.27s.27) which was 500ft tall. I guess they HAD to demolish it though, since it was beyond repair after the Great Fire. And anyway, it's replacement was even better.


http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/205OldStPaulsCathedral_pic1.jpg



An honourable mention should go to the Euston Arch (http://www.geocities.com/londondestruction/arch.html) as well. Whilst not a "building" as such, it was a grand and beautiful monument, torn down and replaced with one of the ugliest modern buildings in London. It was such a catastrophic loss that it led to the introduction of new planning laws.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Euston_Station_-_1851_-_from_Project_Gutenberg_-_eText_13271.jpg/800px-Euston_Station_-_1851_-_from_Project_Gutenberg_-_eText_13271.jpg

God, where do you begin in Liverpool?

The old sailors home in Paradise St
The Customs House in Canning Place
The Overhead Railway
..even the Cavern

They weren't even replaced when demolished!

http://img436.imageshack.us/img436/8931/hac3hp.jpg
The Hacienda

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e50/b4mmy/piccadilly_infirmary.jpg
Piccadilly

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e50/b4mmy/oxfordstreet.jpg
Oxford Street

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e50/b4mmy/kingstreet.jpg
King Street (Facade in Heaton Park ... but ...)

Birmingham went too far:

Grand Theatre. Demolished to make way for Priory Queensway:

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/Media?MEDIA_ID=163504

The Second Central Library. The current one stands opposite it:

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/Media?MEDIA_ID=154948

Aston Hippodrome. An arts centre is now on site:

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/Media?MEDIA_ID=146424

That's just to name a few - It's difficult finding photos of others

In Birmingham

Snow Hill Station

New Street Station

Exchange House
http://www.photobydjnorton.com/StephensonPlace.jpg

The Old Library and the one sitting where they built the new one.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Old%20birmingham/MasonCollege1960.jpg

the one where they put the Copthorn Hotel, at the top of Broad Steet.

(see If I can get some pics when I'm not so busy)

What about old New Street?

I forgot one to include I actually remember

Breedon Bar Cotteridge, Birmingham

http://www.cotteridge.com/breedon.jpg
(it looked better before the Roof was burnt down, and there were a load of colourful Punks and Bikes outside the place...)

Saw the Selector in there where we were complimented as being in Birmingham, because that was quite close to Coventy!

New Street Grammar School :(. It was a beautiful old building lost in 1939.

http://www.virtualbrum.co.uk/images/newst/kens1930.jpg

omg, I never realised there were so many great buildings in Birmingham's past. Its a real shame we dont have them anymore... a real shame.

God, where do you begin in Liverpool?

The old sailors home in Paradise St
The Customs House in Canning Place
The Overhead Railway
..even the Cavern

They weren't even replaced when demolished!

I find it simply astounding that they demolished the Cavern Club.

I can't believe they knocked down The Hacienda, I mean did they not think, give it 10/20 years and this will be an Icon of the 80/90s? With Tourist coming to see the Madchester experience or whatever?

I can sorta understand why in the early 70s Liverpool wouldn't understand the gains in keeping the Cavern, wasn't it a Jazz club dying on it's arse at the time? But by now you would have thought councils would more likey to understand the (montary) value of culture?

What did they replace the Cavern with? that Car park next to the present one?

No. The old warehouse was for fruit, so it was a good building anyway... they dropped it for an access tunnel when they where rebuilding downtown's underground system... which incidentally they where fucking up, putting it in a loop that no one can be arsed using!

The Grand theatre in Birmingham looked beautiful, i think thats Birmingham's greatest loss in my opinion, it sort of looks like the opera house in Prague.

http://www.plasticbag.org/images/extra/tricorn_image.jpg

I hate it myself but it is loved by so many. The Tricorn Centre. Portsmouths World Famous Brutalist Shopping and Mugging Complex.

Some of my worst from Liverpool...

Cotton Exchange:
http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/exhibitions/cotton/graphics/small/cottonexchange.jpg

Customs House (see people at steps for scale!):
http://www.lombardmaps.com/cat/viewsforeign/england/liverpool.jpg

Sailors Home:
http://usera.imagecave.com/dadds/sailorshome.jpg

Overhead Railway (this picture breaks by fucking heart!!):
http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/features/liverpool1.jpg

http://www.vads.ahds.ac.uk/diad/bres/pub/COID/241/18.jpg
If only...

Well the worst has to be Queen street station

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/sandraanstiss/queenstreetstation.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/sandraanstiss/190020Taff20Vale20Railway20Station2.jpg

demolished for this (between the 2 buildings)

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/sandraanstiss/P2060079.jpg

and the old town hall

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/sandraanstiss/townhall.jpg

demolished for this (as this newer building covers the facade of the central market)

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/sandraanstiss/P2060019-1.jpg

Old Victoria station which they tore down in the 60's to make way for a concrete shopping mall and one of the biggest sets of concrete flats in the country!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1050/741440557_e08c929d53.jpg?v=0

The other one has to be the old caslte of Nottingham... which was rebuilt due to a fire...

http://www.richardphillips.org.uk/rbussey/large/standard.jpg

Birmingham Market Hall. Bombed out in WWII leaving just the shell, demolished to make way for the 1960s Bull Ring.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Birmingham_Market_Hall_%28Hutton%29.PNG

After being bombed out (same side)
http://planningis50.com/wp-content/gallery/Birmingham%20rebuilding/Birmingham%20front%20of%20bombed%20Market%20Hall%20LB%20Ginsburg.jpg

This is from behind after being bombed out:
http://planningis50.com/wp-content/gallery/Birmingham%20rebuilding/Birmingham%20bombed%20Market%20Hall%20LB%20Ginsburg.jpg


The Birmingham Theatre on New Street.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13926/13926-h/images/image09.jpg


Birmingham Navigations office:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13926/13926-h/images/image20.jpg

Glasgow Royal Lunatic Asylum, William Stark, 1827, demolished 1910
http://www.theglasgowstory.com/images/TGSA01089.jpg
http://www.theglasgowstory.com/images/TGSB00033.jpg
from http://www.greekthomson.com/images/QP_Church_1.jpg[/img]
model of church: [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/hidden_glasgow/QueensParkChurch.jpg]>clicky< (]TheGlasgowStory.com

Queen's Park Church, Alexander Thomson, 1868-69, Destroyed by enemy action, 24th March 1943.
[img)
the interior of that church was really special, can;t find any pics jus nw but will dig them out and post if anyones interested

Some from 'ull.

Prudential Tower, Queen Victoria Square

The building was bombed during WWII, leaving just the tower, which was subsequently pulled down on health and safety grounds. Chuffin' health and safety!

http://www.hullwebs.co.uk/content/p-postcards/_images/Victoria%20Square%20-%20017.jpeg

http://www.hullwebs.co.uk/content/p-postcards/_images/Victoria%20Square%20-%

http://www.hullwebs.co.uk/content/p-postcards/_images/Victoria%20Square%20-%

Old Town Hall

Designed by the same architect as Leeds Town Hall (Cuthbert Broderick), it was pulled down and replaced by the current city hall in 1903.

http://www.hullwebs.co.uk/content/p-postcards/_images/Town%20Hall%20-%20003.jpg

http://www.hullwebs.co.uk/content/p-postcards/_images/Town%20Hall%20-%20001.jpeg

http://www.hullwebs.co.uk/content/p-postcards/_images/Town%20Hall%20-%20002.jpeg

Market hall, Queen St. Bombed 1941
http://images-041.cdn.piczo.com/p6/img/i244531526_48503_6.jpg

Bristol castle. unknown to many people nowadays, the castle was once a monster of a thing -considered one of europes finest- and regarded impregnable by those who attempted to siege it. The walls were 25ft thick, and it was built(in it's finest stone form, not it's first incarnation) in 1140.
It was finally pulled down in 1656 by order of oliver cromwell, who saw it as too much of a strategical stronghold were it to fall into the wrong hands.
It's demolition proved a massive undertaking, but what little was left was bombed to fu*k in WW2, then the rubble was treated with the dignity of being thrown under a new road in the last century. Today there is little to be seen but much to imagine...

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa272/Berbaking/260px-BristolCastle.jpg

Bristol castle RIP

^^ also i would say that any 'new' building along St Augustines parade etc. is pretty much standing on what were once far superior and grander buildings :yes:

http://www.picturesheffield.com/jpgl/s02039.jpg

http://www.picturesheffield.com/jpgh/s15601.jpg

http://www.picturesheffield.com/jpgh/s00853.jpg

http://www.picturesheffield.com/jpgh/s04322.jpg

:cry:

Ok, so (atleast) the first one was bombed, not demolished, but it's basically the same thing.

And it's even more sad, cause that's only a small selection of what was bombed/demolished.

to be honest, a lot of the buildings we grieve over in Liverpool where actually lost in the war.. but still, some horrors that where perpetrated in the 60s' include

Queen Sq and the St John's market district, especially the hotel drag and 'bright lights, big city', adverts opposite Lime St station

Bunny's on Church St

Goree Piazza.. like the overhead railway and Custom house, it DID NOT have to come down

Dukes dock warehouse

The Rotunda theatre... and much of Scotland Rd with it!

4 more recent crimes
Central Station
All those huge downtown tenements, like Gerard gardens
The old Liverpool community college in Seymor St
That church off Pall Mall that I just can't remember the name of right now!!! did Latin masses till it shut.

wibble

A few of Brighton's lost buildings.

The Bedford Hotel was on the seafront close to the West Pier. Following a fire in 1964 it was demolished.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1207/1158087148_37b6237810.jpg


The Dials Congregational Church in Dyke Road was demolished in 1972.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1395/1157235827_828f4d4f7f.jpg


The Floral Hall was in Market Street. This was demolished in 1940.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1119/1157243429_69c7e44154.jpg

Some real tragedies on this thread :( Here's more of Glasgows

YMCA, Bothwell St
http://www.theglasgowstory.com/images/TGSA00596_m.jpg (http://www.theglasgowstory.com/imageview.php?inum=TGSA00596&PHPSESSID=af0b8e3fbebea683772a8903e1a89ba4)

St Enoch Station Hotel
http://www.theglasgowstory.com/images/TGSA01220_m.jpg (http://www.theglasgowstory.com/imageview.php?inum=TGSA01220)

the towers from the Cathedral
http://www.theglasgowstory.com/images/TGSE00524_m.jpg (http://www.theglasgowstory.com/images/TGSE00524.jpg)

Posted by Feltip on the Birmingham forum:

New Street Station( demolished inthe 60s)

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Old%20Birmingham/stephenson.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Old%20Birmingham/1930newst.jpg

Such a tragedy, it may not be the best demolished buiding in Brum (there were some crackers) but considering what replaced it :ohno:

Pretty much that whole swathe of central Birmingham is gone. You can see the Bull Ring before it was redeveloped into the nasty 60s shopping centre in at the top and in the middle of that pic. I think the rectangular building was the market hall which suffered bomb damage I thing but met its final end courtesy of 60s planners.

Preston Town Hall
http://www.tullistrees.org/Vol2No4/PrestonTownHall.jpg

Another great building lost in Brighton was the original Hove town hall, which burnt down in the 60's.

http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/images/uploaded/scaled/hove_town_hall_old.jpg

http://www.kpmc.fsnet.co.uk/jcp/townh.jpg


Replaced by this -
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/26/56626845_406d0a7af2.jpg?v=0

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Old%20Birmingham/1930newst.jpg

Ouch. Terrible:ohno:

Hotel on Long Row. The one with the large spire in the middle. This is now a 60's shopping complex with a Primark in it.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w222/stefan_long18/black20boy.jpg

Albert Hall

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w222/stefan_long18/albert20hall.jpg

Sheffield's biggest loss has to be the castle. It would have probably one of the largest city centre castles in existence.

http://web.ecomplanet.com/KIRK6479/ServerContent/MyCustomImages/KIRK6479CustomImage0861203.jpg

http://www.sheffieldmarkets.co.uk/images/sheffield-castle.gif

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Sheffield_Castle.png/200px-Sheffield_Castle.png

It will still be nice when the sins of the past are repented and the ruins will be back in the fresh air.

The Old Nottingham Castle which was replaced in the 17th century. It stood for around 500 years and was considered to be the hardest castle to penetrate whilst it was standing. The Gatehouse is the only part of it that remains today.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w222/stefan_long18/castle16.gif

Sheffield castle looks alot like Cardiff castle (thoguh does look smaller) with the outer wall seemingly square (could possibly be roman as is the case with Cardiff) and a norman motte and bailey off center.

All that remains of any link to the castle at Birmingham is the road name Moat Lane which goes back to the Manor House which followed the demise of the castle.

I'm sure I read that Walsall castle was dismantled and stone reused somewhere else.

When was Sheffield Castle demolished?

^
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheffield_Castle

The remains of Birmingham's manor house are slap bang underneath Moat Lane car park and the markets.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Old%20Birmingham/1930newst.jpg

Wow, the street running along the bottom right at a horizontal level is Stephenson Place. That Gothic sort of building on that street is Exchange Place, is it not? That's been replaced by the HSBC building with the ramp running up alongside it. :ohno: The building behind it on New Street is Charles Barry's King Edwards Grammar School which was demolished in 1936 for King Edwards House which still remains. I never knew the Market Hall was so long. It really was massive - it's a shame that was demolished to make way for the Inner Ring Road, although they couldn't be arsed to find a use for it's bombed out shell anyway. All those buildings on the middle left are now Big Top.

What a loss all that is... :(

^
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheffield_Castle

cheers, 1648, so this is another thing we can blame Cromwell for.

Yup - goes on the huge list (currently 32,458 items) of crimes Cromwell & Co did.

What a said thread, bastard Hitler he caused alot of this loss. It would have been great if all this was kept :(

I'm gonna go for this one:

The Kirkgate Market

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/6624/kirkgatemarketbradfordel1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/4807/markethall1905forhistorge2.jpg

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/9838/brad35midrl4.jpg

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/5556/kirkgatemarketdarleystrze2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/8420/kirkgatemarketdarleystrxb5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/6797/lb003rdc8.jpeg

http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/6145/363879d91e7562tn9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/6406/lb018rrv7.jpeg


It was demolished in the 1970's and replaced by this horrible piece of cack:

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/7753/bahtat08024jd9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



A comparison of Darley Street then and now:

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/9379/darleystreet1920sjc7.jpg

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/8522/bahtat07439jf7.jpg


With the exception of a recent repaving job, time has not been good to it.


Of course there are a few other examples, among them, The Exchange Railway Station, The Swan Arcade and Busby's Department Store (though of course there were many more, and the city seemed to feel, as far as I can tell from photo's, a lot more integral because of it back then). Pictures of the first two can be found on the Bradlibs link, and a picture of Busby's can be found on the yorkshire post link.


http://www.bradlibs.com/localstudies/vtc/lostbradford/index.htm

http://www.francisfrith.com/search/england/west+yorkshire/bradford/photos/

http://www.bradfordvision.co.uk/

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/video/Memories-in-store-as-Bradford.3705741.jp

Don't know if this has been posted already.

New Brighton Tower, 1896-1919

172m tall, taller & more elegant than Blackpool tower, stood at the mouth of the Mersey. Neglected over world war 1 and had to be dismantled :ohno:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/112/312374172_cab80da4fe_o.jpghttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/19/96324453_f8ce630dab.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/38/96322198_c04de2f9a4.jpghttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/400014142_91cbf7b9f7.jpg?v=0
http://www.newbrightonpostcards.org.uk/cards/1907/000059fx.jpg
http://www.newbrightonpostcards.org.uk/cards/1905/000062fx.jpg

i hope itll get rebuilt, in some form. :yes:

i hope itll get rebuilt, in some form. :yes:

they're doing a feasibility study into rebuilding New Brighton Pier with a landing stage for the ferry, but I doubt they'd ever replace the tower.

well, its a start :yes: (maybe in 100 years or so they'll think about it :shifty:)

i think New Brighton would do well if it was some sort of enclave of somekind...

im having a huge brain fart right now... so ill come back later :shifty: