Britain As It Might Have Been

[Dr Pepper]

'This rendition from Popular Science Monthly (January 1934) shows the beast laid out from just above Westminster Bridge to the (newly opened) Lambeth Bridge, covering the entire width of the river, with the runways running almost directly into the Victoria Tower of Westminster Palace.'

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[Erebus555]

Originally Posted by Dr Pepper

Old Bull Ring proposal from an article in 1990. Not sure what happened to the proposed tower.

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It was put to the public in a consultation exercise and there was a massive outcry and plans to demolish the Rotunda for pastiche Chrysler Tower lookalike. They completely revised their plans and the Rotunda ended up getting listed building status.

[funkydory]

.....or this part of the City Centre of Birmingham as it was speculated not long after the Second World War.

[Dr Pepper]

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[funkydory]

The underpass one (Oxford Circus) looks quite nice although it would have to be dark grey or dark brown stone to pass my criteria.

The Selfridges(?) one looks quite funky too.

The remainder do look a bit scary though

[citybus]

That Trafalgar Square car park reminds me of cows walking into an abatoir.

[Erebus555]

Originally Posted by funkydory

.....or this part of the City Centre of Birmingham as it was speculated not long after the Second World War.

That's a new one! All the designs I've seen have been very Classical in terms of inspiration but this is much more toned down and modern in comparison. Can't imagine it standing the test of time, much, though.

[i_like_concrete]

Originally Posted by Erebus555

It was put to the public in a consultation exercise and there was a massive outcry and plans to demolish the Rotunda for pastiche Chrysler Tower lookalike. They completely revised their plans and the Rotunda ended up getting listed building status.

Interesting though isn't it, that the planners of the time seemed to realise the problem with re-building a large mall, and were instead advocating a much more urban masterplan. It's a shame they couldn't have kept the Rotunda and rolled out a similar masterplan to that above.

[funkydory]

Originally Posted by Erebus555

That's a new one! All the designs I've seen have been very Classical in terms of inspiration but this is much more toned down and modern in comparison. Can't imagine it standing the test of time, much, though.

The portfolio of designs comes from 1950 of how Birmingham could develop utopia-wise 50 years on from then. More of a concept than a plan certainly.

Its Broad Street Birmingham,incidentally. Looking away from the city centre just left of the Hall of Memory.

A few more "Birmingham to come" photos in due course from the same album.

[Dr Pepper]

'In 2002 the government identified a site at Cliffe on the Hoo Peninsula in North Kent as the leading contender among potential sites for a new airport for London. The proposal was for up to four runways arranged in two east-west close parallel pairs, with a possible fifth runway on a different alignment, which might be used only at night and in particular weather conditions. In December 2003 the government decided against the Cliffe proposal on the grounds that the costs of a coastal site were too high, and there was a significant risk that the airport would not be well used.'

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[Dr Pepper]

This is a design from 2005 when the proposals to redevelop the station were gathering momentum.

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[Dr Pepper]

This round plan has a cathedral at its heart. I assume it was the magnificent Edward Lutyens designed Catholic cathedral that was sadly never completed.

Originally posted by Doug Roberts
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[Dr Pepper]

'The see of Truro was established in 1876 and the first Bishop consecrated in 1877: this was the first cathedral to be built on a new site in England since Salisbury Cathedral in 1220. Construction began in 1880 to a design by the architect John Loughborough Pearson, after an architectural competition.'

Alternative Designs.

James Hicks
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J M Brydon
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R P Pullen
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[Walsh]

Originally Posted by Erebus555

It was put to the public in a consultation exercise and there was a massive outcry and plans to demolish the Rotunda for pastiche Chrysler Tower lookalike. They completely revised their plans and the Rotunda ended up getting listed building status.

So we could of had a look-a-like of my favourite building in the city and instead they vote to keep that piece of ****. Brilliant!

I Still prefer the previous designs of the arean central tower with the spire...

[Dr Pepper]

'William Emerson’s design for Liverpool Cathedral, which was submitted in competition with James Brookes and Bodley & Garner, was placed first, but was not built. The site was different from the site of the later new Cathedral, being close to St.George’s Hall, Emersons design was, to use his own words, an early phase of gothic bordering on Romanesque. Emerson recieved compensation for this unrealized design in the form of a concession for carrying out his designs for the Victoria Memoria Hall at Calcutta.'


William Emerson
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James Brookes
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Bodley & Garner
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[Dr Pepper]

Gareth Hoskins Architects 2004

'Our proposals put forward an idea for a striking new museum building which, through the integration of its associated landscaping and consideration of sense of arrival and place, forms a new public destination within the Glasgow Harbour development that connects directly with its dramatic riverside setting.

Our design is conceived as a series of interlinked, parallel structures which cantilever out over the river and through their volume and structural frame arrangement, allow a variety of gallery volumes of variable heights and scales to be achieved with a range of different configurations of visitor routes and journeys. The dramatic overall scale and form of these interlinked, steel clad bays echo the scale and presence of the shipbuilding sheds that once lined the banks of the Clyde.'

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[Dr Pepper]

'Under the Cathedrals Act of 1840, the Warden and Fellows of the collegiate church of Manchester were translated into Dean and Canons, in preparation for becoming the cathedral of a new diocese of Manchester in 1847. The medieval collegeiate church was by then in a very poor state, partly due to the poor weathering qualities of the original Binney sandstone, but also due to an ill advised attempt to lighten the interior by coating all internal surfaces of the nave with Roman Cement. All external stonework was replaced between 1850 and 1870, in a restoration by J.S. Crowther, who also replaced the internal stonework of the nave walls and arcades. The west tower was heightened in 1868 by J P. Holden, who also replaced all its external stonework. Consequently the cathedral gives the overall impression of a 19th-century structure. Despite this there was still a desire to build a new cathedral worthy of the city, but these designs by R.H. Carpenter were never executed.'

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[Dr Pepper]

Pics and info originally posted by caw123

Quay Point is located in Salford Quays, Manchester covering some 30 acres. One proposal for the site was for a large mixed use project developed by Peel Holdings and designed by Fairhurst. It would contain 1 million sqft of offices, 800 apartments (approx 600,000sqft), 60,000 sqft of retail and a hotel. There would be 4 towers of 50, 35, 35 and 25 storeys. The tallest would be 160-200m.

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The site is now the location of Mediacity UK.

[desertpunk]

Wow. If only there was a way to get those beauties built. Wherever.

[Accura4Matalan]

It was a concept that was pretty unrealistic. Peel had put forward various visions to try and get investors to develop the Dock 9 area over the years. Media City and the BBC was a big win on their part.