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The end of Greenwich District Hospital, not much left now as the sun sets on the building. A sign tells us helpfully the hospital is closed.
Bradford Odeon is the name applied to two different cinemas in central Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. One, in Godwin Street, was built in 1930 and survives; the other, in Manchester Road, was built in 1938 and demolished in 1969.
Godwin Street building
The cinema, originally built as a 3,318 seat cine-variety theatre, was the largest outside London, and the third largest in England. It was completed in 1930 as the New Victoria. It is on the site of William Whittaker's brewery and malting, which had closed in 1928. It is a Renaissance Revival building designed by the architect William Illingworth, with copper-covered cupolas on two corners complementing those on the neighbouring Bradford Alhambra theatre. The New Victoria combined a 3,318-seat auditorium, 450 square feet (42 m2) ballroom and 200-seat restaurant. The auditorium was primarily a cinema, but also a concert and ballet venue with a stage, orchestra pit, Wurlitzer organ and excellent acoustics.
As a cinema it was the third largest in Britain when it opened, with only the Trocadero at Elephant & Castle and Davis Theatre at Croydon being larger. By 1930 cinemas had converted to screen sound pictures, which had been introduced in 1927, but the New Victoria was the first cinema in Britain to be purpose-built for "talkies". It was built at a cost of £250,000 for Provincial Cinematograph Theatres, backed by the Gaumont British Picture Corporation. In 1950 the complex was renamed the Gaumont, by this time both the Odeon and Gaumont circuits were controlled by Circuits Management Association Ltd., a subsidiary of the Rank Organisation. With the city's Odeon scheduled for re-development by Bradford Corporation, Rank decided to redevelop the Gaumont as a twin cinema and bingo club and on 30 November 1968 it closed for nine months. By the time that the building was ready to re-open, the original Odeon had been closed for five months and the new complex opened on 21 August 1969 with the Odeon name.
The Gaumont as the Odeon
The Rank Organisation converted the Gaumont into a complex with the former circle divided into two film auditoria, one of 1,200 and the other of 467 seats. The former stalls were converted into a 1,000 seat Top Rank bingo hall, replacing the company's bingo operation in the former Majestic cinema in Morley Street. The "Odeon" name was transferred to the new two-screen cinema, which opened in August 1969. The bingo hall opened later in the year.
The Gaumont (formerly New Victoria) ballroom had also closed in 1968, and it remained unused for 20 years. In 1988 Rank had it converted into a 244-seat auditorium and reopened that June as a third screen of the cinema.
In 1991 Rank had plans prepared to convert the bingo hall into three film auditoria and the former restaurant into retail units. In 1994 it had plans prepared to divide the 1,200-seat auditorium into three auditoria and the 467-seat auditorium into two. Neither plan was implemented.
In the 1990s the Gallagher Group planned to redevelop a site at Thornbury on the eastern edge of Bradford into a leisure park that would include a 13-screen multiplex. The cinema chain originally contracted to operate it withdrew, so Odeon (Rank had sold the cinema chain to Cinven in February 2000) took its place and in July 2000 opened the new cinema as the Odeon Leeds-Bradford. It closed the Bradford Odeon in June 2000 and the Odeon Cinema Leeds in 2001.
Live music
The New Victoria / Gaumont was a distinguished venue for live music. Big bands played for dancers in its ballroom, and its season included charity balls hosted by the Grand Order of Water Rats and the National Union of Journalists. The main auditorium was the largest concert venue in the north of England. The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) played at its opening gala in 1930, and a subsequent LSO concert was conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Further classical music performances included the London Festival Ballet in 1952 and the Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli in 1954.
The Gaumont's main auditorium continued to host stage performances. In 1950 it hosted an ice show, Babes in the Wood on Ice.
UK tours of the most successful popular music acts included concerts at the Gaumont, including Billy Daniels (1953), Frankie Laine (1953), Bill Haley & His Comets (1957), Buddy Holly (1958), Paul Anka, Count Basie and the Peruvian soprano Yma Sumac. In 1960 the Gaumont hosted Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran's first ever British concert, and Vince Eager was the supporting act.
1963 was a notable year at the Gaumont. In February Helen Shapiro headlined a concert there, with supporting performances by Danny Williams and Kenny Lynch. At the bottom of the bill was a new band called The Beatles, who were about to release their first LP record Please Please Me. In October The Everly Brothers headlined a concert with supporting acts by Bo Diddley and another new British band, The Rolling Stones. In December The Beatles returned, headlining a concert playing to two packed houses with supporting performances from The Barron Knights, Tommy Quickly, Billy J. Kramer, Cilla Black and Rolf Harris.
The Rolling Stones returned in 1965, this time heading the bill. Tom Jones sang at the Gaumont in 1968.
Redevelopment proposals
Since 2000, asbestos has been removed from the former New Victoria / Gaumont building but it has remained unused. In 2003 the regional development agency Yorkshire Forward bought it for £3 million and proposed to redevelop the site. Public opposition quickly formed the Bradford Odeon Rescue Group (BORG), whose campaign included a "Hug the Odeon" event in July 2007 in which an estimated 1,000 people encircled the building in a human chain. BORG's supporters include Richard Attenborough, George Clarke and Jonathan Foyle.
In 2009 an open public campaign began which included several websites, Twitter accounts and Facebook groups created by members of the public. As part of the public 'Save The Odeon' campaign, a series of demonstrations around the building were organised by members of the public, such as an alternative Christmas lights switch-on, projections onto the towers of the building during the opening of City Park, and pinning 'get well soon' cards and flowers to the building during maintenance works. The public campaign gathered the support of David Hockney, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Jenny Agutter, Michael Winner and Imelda Staunton.
Yorkshire Forward contracted a commercial property development company, Langtree Group, to demolish the building and redevelop the site. However, in March 2012 Yorkshire Forward was abolished as a result of HM Treasury's 2010 Spending Review, and in September 2012 ownership of the building passed to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).
In late 2013 the HCA sold the building to Bradford City Council for a nominal £1 on condition that the latter invest £1.32 million in its maintenance and repair. The city council has invited bids to redevelop the building, retaining as much as possible of its original fabric.
After a gap of 45 years, live music is foremost in current proposals to restore and reopen the New Victoria / Gaumont. Two parties, Bradford Live and Bradford One, have each proposed to remove the partitions and false walls inserted in 1968–69 and restore the original auditorium as a single performance space. Bradford One says the restored auditorium would provide part-standing capacity for 3107 people, or for 2,487 people all seated. Bradford Live says redevelopment would cost £20 million and claims it could increase capacity from the original 3,318 seats to between 3,500 and 4,000.
As of January 2019 Bradford Live and NEC Group International working together have secured £4 million funding and aim to start construction in summer 2019. As of 29 January 2020 expected opening was in 2021. The redevelopment of the Bradford Odeon into Bradford Live suffered numerous setbacks and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and parts of the existing building needing to be fully replaced rather than simply refurbished, pushing the completion of the new venue to 2024.
In popular culture
The Godwin Street building, under the name New Victoria, was the subject of an episode entitled The Palace of Dreams in the UK TV series Portillo's Hidden History of Britain, broadcast 30 November 2018 on Channel 5.
Bradford is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the 1974 reform, the city status has belonged to the larger City of Bradford metropolitan borough. It had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 census; the second-largest subdivision of the West Yorkshire Built-up Area after Leeds, which is approximately 9 miles (14 km) to the east. The borough had a population of 546,976, making it the 9th most populous district in England.
Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city grew in the 19th century as an international centre of textile manufacture, particularly wool. It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, and amongst the earliest industrialised settlements, rapidly becoming the "wool capital of the world"; this in turn gave rise to the nicknames "Woolopolis" and "Wool City". Lying in the eastern foothills of the Pennines, the area's access to supplies of coal, iron ore and soft water facilitated the growth of a manufacturing base, which, as textile manufacture grew, led to an explosion in population and was a stimulus to civic investment. There is a large amount of listed Victorian architecture in the city including the grand Italianate city hall.
From the mid-20th century, deindustrialisation caused the city's textile sector and industrial base to decline and, since then, it has faced similar economic and social challenges to the rest of post-industrial Northern England, including poverty, unemployment and social unrest. It is the third-largest economy within the Yorkshire and the Humber region at around £10 billion, which is mostly provided by financial and manufacturing industries. It is also a tourist destination, the first UNESCO City of Film and it has the National Science and Media Museum, a city park, the Alhambra theatre and Cartwright Hall. The city is the UK City of Culture for 2025 having won the designation on 31 May 2022.
History
The name Bradford is derived from the Old English brad and ford the broad ford which referred to a crossing of the Bradford Beck at Church Bank below the site of Bradford Cathedral, around which a settlement grew in Anglo-Saxon times. It was recorded as "Bradeford" in 1086.
Early history
After an uprising in 1070, during William the Conqueror's Harrying of the North, the manor of Bradford was laid waste, and is described as such in the Domesday Book of 1086. It then became part of the Honour of Pontefract given to Ilbert de Lacy for service to the Conqueror, in whose family the manor remained until 1311. There is evidence of a castle in the time of the Lacys. The manor then passed to the Earl of Lincoln, John of Gaunt, The Crown and, ultimately, private ownership in 1620.
By the middle ages Bradford, had become a small town centred on Kirkgate, Westgate and Ivegate. In 1316 there is mention of a fulling mill, a soke mill where all the manor corn was milled and a market. During the Wars of the Roses the inhabitants sided with House of Lancaster. Edward IV granted the right to hold two annual fairs and from this time the town began to prosper. In the reign of Henry VIII Bradford exceeded Leeds as a manufacturing centre. Bradford grew slowly over the next two-hundred years as the woollen trade gained in prominence.
During the Civil War the town was garrisoned for the Parliamentarians and in 1642 was unsuccessfully attacked by Royalist forces from Leeds. Sir Thomas Fairfax took the command of the garrison and marched to meet the Duke of Newcastle but was defeated. The Parliamentarians retreated to Bradford and the Royalists set up headquarters at Bolling Hall from where the town was besieged leading to its surrender. The Civil War caused a decline in industry but after the accession of William III and Mary II in 1689 prosperity began to return. The launch of manufacturing in the early 18th century marked the start of the town's development while new canal and turnpike road links encouraged trade.
Industrial Revolution
In 1801, Bradford was a rural market town of 6,393 people, where wool spinning and cloth weaving were carried out in local cottages and farms. Bradford was thus not much bigger than nearby Keighley (5,745) and was significantly smaller than Halifax (8,866) and Huddersfield (7,268). This small town acted as a hub for three nearby townships – Manningham, Bowling and Great and Little Horton, which were separated from the town by countryside.
Blast furnaces were established in about 1788 by Hird, Dawson Hardy at Low Moor and iron was worked by the Bowling Iron Company until about 1900. Yorkshire iron was used for shackles, hooks and piston rods for locomotives, colliery cages and other mining appliances where toughness was required. The Low Moor Company also made pig iron and the company employed 1,500 men in 1929. when the municipal borough of Bradford was created in 1847 there were 46 coal mines within its boundaries. Coal output continued to expand, reaching a peak in 1868 when Bradford contributed a quarter of all the coal and iron produced in Yorkshire.
The population of the township in 1841 was 34,560.
In 1825 the wool-combers union called a strike that lasted five-months but workers were forced to return to work through hardship leading to the introduction of machine-combing. This Industrial Revolution led to rapid growth, with wool imported in vast quantities for the manufacture of worsted cloth in which Bradford specialised, and the town soon became known as the wool capital of the world.
A permanent military presence was established in the city with the completion of Bradford Moor Barracks in 1844.
Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and a county borough in 1888, making it administratively independent of the West Riding County Council. It was honoured with city status on the occasion of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, with Kingston upon Hull and Nottingham. The three had been the largest county boroughs outside the London area without city status. The borough's boundaries were extended to absorb Clayton in 1930, and parts of Rawdon, Shipley, Wharfedale and Yeadon urban districts in 1937.
Bradford had ample supplies of locally mined coal to provide the power that the industry needed. Local sandstone was an excellent resource for building the mills, and with a population of 182,000 by 1850, the town grew rapidly as workers were attracted by jobs in the textile mills. A desperate shortage of water in Bradford Dale was a serious limitation on industrial expansion and improvement in urban sanitary conditions. In 1854 Bradford Corporation bought the Bradford Water Company and embarked on a huge engineering programme to bring supplies of soft water from Airedale, Wharfedale and Nidderdale. By 1882 water supply had radically improved. Meanwhile, urban expansion took place along the routes out of the city towards the Hortons and Bowling and the townships had become part of a continuous urban area by the late 19th century.
A major employer was Titus Salt who in 1833 took over the running of his father's woollen business specialising in fabrics combining alpaca, mohair, cotton and silk. By 1850 he had five mills. However, because of the polluted environment and squalid conditions for his workers Salt left Bradford and transferred his business to Salts Mill in Saltaire in 1850, where in 1853 he began to build the workers' village which has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Henry Ripley was a younger contemporary of Titus Salt. He was managing partner of Edward Ripley & Son Ltd, which owned the Bowling Dye Works. In 1880 the dye works employed over 1000 people and was said to be the biggest dye works in Europe. Like Salt he was a councillor, JP and Bradford MP who was deeply concerned to improve working class housing conditions. He built the industrial Model village of Ripley Ville on a site in Broomfields, East Bowling close to the dye works.
Other major employers were Samuel Lister and his brother who were worsted spinners and manufacturers at Lister's Mill (Manningham Mills). Lister epitomised Victorian enterprise but it has been suggested that his capitalist attitude made trade unions necessary. Unprecedented growth created problems with over 200 factory chimneys continually churning out black, sulphurous smoke, Bradford gained the reputation of being the most polluted town in England. There were frequent outbreaks of cholera and typhoid, and only 30% of children born to textile workers reached the age of fifteen. This extreme level of infant and youth mortality contributed to a life expectancy for Bradford residents of just over eighteen years, which was one of the lowest in the country.
Like many major cities Bradford has been a destination for immigrants. In the 1840s Bradford's population was significantly increased by migrants from Ireland, particularly rural County Mayo and County Sligo, and by 1851 about 10% of the population were born in Ireland, the largest proportion in Yorkshire. Around the middle decades of the 19th century the Irish were concentrated in eight densely settled areas situated near the town centre. One of these was the Bedford Street area of Broomfields, which in 1861 contained 1,162 persons of Irish birth—19% of all Irish born persons in the Borough.
During the 1820s and 1830s, there was immigration from Germany. Many were Jewish merchants and they became active in the life of the town. The Jewish community mostly living in the Manningham area of the town, numbered about 100 families but was influential in the development of Bradford as a major exporter of woollen goods from their textile export houses predominately based in Little Germany and the civic life of Bradford. Charles Semon (1814–1877) was a textile merchant and philanthropist who developed a productive textile export house in the town, he became the first foreign and Jewish mayor of Bradford in 1864. Jacob Behrens (1806–1889) was the first foreign textile merchant to export woollen goods from the town, his company developed into an international multimillion-pound business. Behrens was a philanthropist, he also helped to establish the Bradford chamber of commerce in 1851. Jacob Moser (1839–1922) was a textile merchant who was a partner in the firm Edelstein, Moser and Co, which developed into a successful Bradford textile export house. Moser was a philanthropist, he founded the Bradford Charity Organisation Society and the City Guild of Help. In 1910 Moser became the first Jewish Lord Mayor of Bradford.
Jowett Cars Eight badge
To support the textile mills, a large manufacturing base grew up in the town providing textile machinery, and this led to diversification with different industries thriving side by side. The Jowett Motor Company founded in the early 20th century by Benjamin and William Jowett and Arthur V Lamb, manufactured cars and vans in Bradford for 50 years. The Scott Motorcycle Company was a well known producer of motorcycles and light engines for industry. Founded by Alfred Angas Scott in 1908 as the Scott Engineering Company in Bradford, Scott motorcycles were produced until 1978.
Independent Labour Party
The city played an important part in the early history of the Labour Party. A mural on the back of the Bradford Playhouse in Little Germany commemorates the centenary of the founding of the Independent Labour Party in Bradford in 1893.
Regimental colours
The Bradford Pals were three First World War Pals battalions of Kitchener's Army raised in the city. When the three battalions were taken over by the British Army they were officially named the 16th (1st Bradford), 18th (2nd Bradford), and 20th (Reserve) Battalions, The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment).
On the morning of 1 July 1916, the 16th and 18th Battalions left their trenches in Northern France to advance across no man's land. It was the first hour of the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Of the estimated 1,394 men from Bradford and District in the two battalions, 1,060 were either killed or injured during the ill-fated attack on the village of Serre-lès-Puisieux.
Other Bradford Battalions of The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) involved in the Battle of the Somme were the 1st/6th Battalion (the former Bradford Rifle Volunteers), part of the Territorial Force, based at Belle Vue Barracks in Manningham, and the 10th Battalion (another Kitchener battalion). The 1/6th Battalion first saw action in 1915 at the Battle of Aubers Ridge before moving north to the Yser Canal near Ypres. On the first day of the Somme they took heavy casualties while trying to support the 36th (Ulster) Division. The 10th Battalion was involved in the attack on Fricourt, where it suffered the highest casualty rate of any battalion on the Somme on 1 July and perhaps the highest battalion casualty list for a single day during the entire war. Nearly 60% of the battalion's casualties were deaths.
The 1/2nd and 2/2nd West Riding Brigades, Royal Field Artillery (TF), had their headquarters at Valley Parade in Manningham, with batteries at Bradford, Halifax and Heckmondwike. The 1/2nd Brigade crossed to France with the 1/6th Battalion West Yorks in April 1915. These Territorial Force units were to remain close to each other throughout the war, serving in the 49th (West Riding) Division. They were joined in 1917 by the 2/6th Battalion, West Yorks, and 2/2nd West Riding Brigade, RFA, serving in the 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division.
Recent history
Bradford's Telegraph and Argus newspaper was involved in spearheading the news of the 1936 Abdication Crisis, after the Bishop of Bradford publicly expressed doubts about Edward VIII's religious beliefs (see: Telegraph & Argus#1936 Abdication Crisis).
After the Second World War migrants came from Poland and Ukraine and since the 1950s from Bangladesh, India and particularly Pakistan.
The textile industry has been in decline throughout the latter part of the 20th century. A culture of innovation had been fundamental to Bradford's dominance, with new textile technologies being invented in the city; a prime example being the work of Samuel Lister. This innovation culture continues today throughout Bradford's economy, from automotive (Kahn Design) to electronics (Pace Micro Technology). Wm Morrison Supermarkets was founded by William Morrison in 1899, initially as an egg and butter merchant in Rawson Market, operating under the name of Wm Morrison (Provisions) Limited.
The grandest of the mills no longer used for textile production is Lister Mills, the chimney of which can be seen from most places in Bradford. It has become a beacon of regeneration after a £100 million conversion to apartment blocks by property developer Urban Splash.
In 1989, copies of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses were burnt in the city, and a section of the Muslim community led a campaign against the book. In July 2001, ethnic tensions led to rioting, and a report described Bradford as fragmented and a city of segregated ethnic communities.
The Yorkshire Building Society opened its new headquarters in the city in 1992.
In 2006 Wm Morrison Supermarkets opened its new headquarters in the city, the firm employs more than 5,000 people in Bradford.
In June 2009 Bradford became the world's first UNESCO City of Film and became part of the Creative Cities Network since then. The city has a long history of producing both films and the technology that produces moving film which includes the invention of the Cieroscope, which took place in Manningham in 1896.
In 2010 Provident Financial opened its new headquarters in the city. The company has been based in the city since 1880.
In 2012 the British Wool Marketing Board opened its new headquarters in the city. Also in 2012 Bradford City Park opened, the park which cost £24.5 million to construct is a public space in the city centre which features numerous fountains and a mirror pool surrounded by benches and a walk way.
In 2015 The Broadway opened, the shopping and leisure complex in the centre of Bradford cost £260 million to build and is owned by Meyer Bergman.
In 2022, Bradford was named the UK City of Culture 2025, beating Southampton, Wrexham and Durham. The UK City of Culture bid, as of 2023, was expected to majorly stimulate the local economy and culture as well as attracting tourism to the city. By 2025, the UK City of Culture bid is expected to support potential economic growth of £389 million to the city of Bradford as well as to the surrounding local areas, creating over 7,000 jobs, attracting a significant amount of tourists to the city and providing thousands of performance opportunities for local artists.
The view from Dartmouth Middleway over the Yellow Self Storage place.
The Aston Gas Holders might get demolished around October 2019.
Mobile shot - touch capture and slightly zoomed in.
~1925 multi-bedroom beach house. The structure was slated to be dismantled and demolished mid-September 2022 to accommodate a modern climate controlled all-season structure of similar design.
Note original board-and-batten internal and external wall construction and the lack of HVAC or extensive electrical circuitry. The structure was airy - with many windows and all the inside doors were louvered to allow the summer sea breeze to pass throughout the home.
See more images of this home at flic.kr/s/aHBqjAqUNr.
(Photo credit - Bob Gundersen www.flickr.com/photos/bobphoto51/albums)
In the rapid state of renewal in Shanghai, when an old building get painted with a red sign like this in old Shanghai, it is destined to be demolished, sooner or later.
Having saved millions of dollars cleaning up and tearing down an old smelter in September 2010, Recovery Act workers at the Paducah Site are moving on to demolish other closed facilities by September 2011.
Daw Mill is a drift mine, so I think the covered way disappearing into the ground is to rake coal up to be transported across the colliery for dispatch.
This once-lovely brick cottage on State Avenue in Cincinnati’s South Fairmount neighborhood has, unfortunately, seen better days. Constructed in the 19th Century, the dwelling is very similar to those found throughout much of the Ohio River Basin, and is reminiscent of those found in Columbus’s German Village. Unfortunately, this house is in a distressed neighborhood on the west side of Cincinnati, and has been abandoned after being allowed to deteriorate to the point where the roof has failed, and unfortunately, this house will not be around for much longer, as the city has put out a demolition order on it, and it is unlikely that this little cottage will be saved. It’s an unfortunate reality, as the city has areas that have seen better days, and, unfortunately, charming historic resources like this house are often lost to the landfill rather than being reused or salvaged.
Service station on East Broad Street near Hood Avenue in Gadsden, Alabama. Built sometime around 1961 as a Spur station, operated its last few years as an Amoco, and last functioned as a key shop. Demolished in July 2014.
I thought I would take a picture of this sign since it soon won't be there anymore. They are going to demolish this building in the next few days I think because the shops below started clearing out there stuff and moving to adjacent buildings. Its pretty sad to see the old buildings come down. I would rather they do what they did in Beirut and that is to renovate the old buildings. The new buildings all look the same thats what I have noticed. They don't have a personality. Anyway Goodbye large Canon sign.
Dedicated in 1998...Demolished in 2018. Sad.
This was the outpatient pavilion. Got a few interior pics...will post soon!
*On March 26, the laying of the foundation stone in connection with the new Methodist Church at Merriton took place.
The stone is certainly a very nice piece of' work and was procured from Adelaide.
At 3 o'clock, Mrs W H Binney, chosen to perform the duty was presented with a silver trowel, contributed by the ladies of Merriton. Mrs Binney made a very neat and well-worded speech.
This lady is one of the first women who came to Crystal Brook, and has always held a most prominent position among the Wesleyans.
Before churches of any kind were in the area their house was utilised for church purposes. Some 28 years ago this same lady performed a similar duty, by laying the first brick of the Rocky River Wesleyan Church, which was erected on Mr Binney’s farm, and which has been lately taken down and the building material carted to erect the new edifice.
The Rev J Stephenson, gave an excellent speech on Methodism, stating in his remarks that the present stone was, the first laid in South Australia by the Methodists since the union of the churches.
Mr R M Dennis read the financial report. Mr A Fergusson then held a sale of old iron and timber from the old churches, which fetched satisfactory prices. A public tea was also held.
A concert in the evening was held in the schoolroom and was well attended. The collections, sale of building material, tea, &c, realized about £70. The building, when completed, will cost about £325. The plans were prepared by Messrs Garlick & Co, architects, Adelaide: contractors, Messrs T Pritchard and J G Johnson.
The size of the building is 36 x 25 inside: height of walls from floor to ceiling, 15ft: the porch in front is 9 x 8 inside.
The church stands near the Merriton Bridge on a piece of land presented by Mr Davidson. Ref: Port Pirie Recorder and North Western Mail (SA) Wednesday 3 April 1901.
*The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new Methodist Church at Merriton, in the Crystal Brook and Redhill circuit, took place yesterday afternoon. There was a huge gathering from all parts of the circuit. Mrs W H Binney, of Rocky River, one of the earliest residents of the district, was chosen to lay the stone, and the ladies connected with the United Church at Merriton presented her with a silver trowel, suitably inscribed. The Rev J B Stephenson, of Port Pirie, chairman of the northern district, and the circuit ministers, the Revs W W Finch and G W Kendrew, gave addresses. A public tea followed, and a concert was given in the public school in the evening. The proceedings were of a satisfactory character, and great interest was taken in the event. The architects for the new building are Messrs Garlick and Jackman, of Adelaide, and the contractors Messrs T Pritchard and F G Johnson, of Crystal Brook. Ref: Adelaide Observer (SA) Saturday 6 April 1901.
*The memorial stone of the Methodist Church, Merriton, was laid by Mrs W H Binney on the 26th.
The amount laid on the stone, sale of materials from the old churches, Rocky River and Merriton, tea and collection realized nearly £70.
There was the deepest possible interest taken in the whole affair which augurs well for the success of the united congregation. Ref: Laura Standard (SA) Friday 5 April 1901.
*Opening - On Sunday the opening services in connection with the Methodist Church at Merriton were celebrated. The Rev V Roberts conducted three services to full and overflowing congregations. The afternoon services were held outside, as it was impossible to get more than half those present inside the church. On Wednesday a tea and public meeting was held, and people from all parts of the district were present. Tea was provided in a large booth erected alongside the church, and so great was the crowd that the ladies were kept going for three hours. Large numbers could not get into the meeting, and supper, which was afterwards served, continued for two hours. The total amount collected for tea and supper was £23. A vote of thanks was passed to all who had contributed to the success of the meeting. The building is one of the prettiest in the northern areas, and reflects great credit on the architect, and on the contractors, Messrs Pritchard & Johnson. The total cost was £500, £140 of which has been met by using material from the old churches of Merriton and Rocky River, and by material provided by the farmers. The cedar pews were given by the old BC Church, Crystal Brook, and the rostrum and platform came from the Primitive Methodist Church, Redhill. This left the Merriton people with £300 to provide, and they have succeeded in raising by subscription and special efforts £190. The church is lighted with acetylene-gas. Ref: Advertiser (Adelaide SA) Monday 1 July 1901.
*A Prosperous Church, Merriton. March 29
As the result of the special effort made last Christmas, when a successful continental and bazaar were held in Mr G Miller's picturesque grounds, the Methodist circuit gave the Merriton church the privilege of using the proceeds of the harvest thanksgiving services to whatever purpose they desired. Accordingly, the chief movers determined in view of the bountiful harvest, reaped last season, to make a bold bid to raise sufficient money to pay off the whole of the interest-bearing debt on the church, £125. With this object, services were held on Sunday, and Monday. A large congregation assembled at the morning service on Sunday and anxiously awaited the arrival of the esteemed pastor (Rev R H Lee).
At the last moment a messenger arrived post haste to state that Mr Lee had been suddenly taken so ill as to be unable to attend. Great disappointment was felt. In the evening, failing the arrival of minister, Mr Hicks, of the Waterworks Department, filled the breach and gave an excellent address. The collections on Sunday amounted to £13. One anonymous donor placed a £10 note in the box. On Monday there was a large gathering under the presidency of Mr W H Binney. The speakers were the Rev W Curwood, and Messrs Symons and Treloar. The treasurer read his report, and concluded with an appeal to the company not to depart till all the money required was subscribed. He had already £91 promised and wanted volunteers for the remaining £34. As an additional inducement, Mr Dennis, the mortgagee, offered to forego the outstanding interest if the whole were subscribed that night. Under the inspiring energy of Mr Kelly and the Chairman, offers of various sums came from different parts of the building and gradually brought the goal nearer, till only 30/ was required. This immediately came from one hand. A supper, provided by the ladies, was held. Ref: Register (Adelaide SA) Thursday 31 March 1904.
*Merriton August 28
The annual picnic in connection with the Merriton Methodist Sunday school was held on Wednesday. Chief interest centred in a football match between Merriton and Clement's Gap. A fierce gale of wind blew right across the ground. The game resulted in a win for the home team by one behind to nothing. Tea and public meetings followed in the church. Ref: The Register (Adelaide SA) Thursday 30 August 1906.
*The Silver Jubilee of the first church built after Methodist union was celebrated at Merriton on March 28 and 29. This church is a union church in more senses than one, for the Bible Christian church at Merriton and the Wesleyan church at Rocky River were both demolished and the stone used in building the present church at Merriton. The seats in the present building come from the Bible Christian church at Crystal Brook, and the pulpit from the Primitive Methodist church at Redhill. But in a deeper sense it is a truly union church, as will be seen from the details of the first meeting held in the church at Merriton on May 7, 1900. The late Rev W W Finch, supported by Rev G W Kendrew, presided over a meeting of 54 persons. The following resolution was proposed by Mr T Marshall (now of Crystal Brook), seconded by the late Mr John Miller MP, and carried unanimously—"That this meeting affirms the desirability of building a new church at or near Merriton township to meet the urgent requirements of the congregations worshipping at Merriton and Rocky River.
The present Church buildings are in a very dilapidated condition, and would require immediate repairs, which outlay would not be needed in the event of a central church being erected.
Thus the start was made for the erection of the first Methodist church after union. A very strong Trust was formed with Mr R M Dennis as secretary (a position he held for 23 years). The plans of the church were drawn by Mr T Hicks, who supervised the erection of the building, the contractors being Messrs F G Johnson and T Pritchard. The foundation stone was laid on March 26, 1901, by Mrs W H Binney, and the minister especially invited to take part was Rev J B Stephenson. The church was opened on Sunday, June 23, 1901. On the following Wednesday, June 26, a tea and public meeting was held.
In June, 1909, a lecture hall was erected and opened free of debt, the ministers present being Revs W J Walker and D B Bridgwood.
The "Silver Jubilee" held on March 28 and 29 was a great success. The church was crowded on each occasion, old friends from all parts of the State being present. The choir was largely composed of old members, with Mrs A McDonald, of Snowtown, at the organ. Rev Vivian Roberts conducted both services on the Sunday. Anthems were given at each service, and solos rendered by Mrs Roberts. On the Monday a tea, public meeting, and supper was held. Supper followed the meeting, and a very successful and interesting celebration was brought to a close. Ref: Australian Christian Commonwealth (SA) Friday 3 July 1903.
Having saved millions of dollars cleaning up and tearing down an old smelter in September 2010, Recovery Act workers at the Paducah Site are moving on to demolish other closed facilities by September 2011.
These homes are being cleared for the expansion of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital across the street, which will disrupt the lives of those who live in the Avondale neighborhood. These homes were largely constructed in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, when Avondale was one of the choice neighborhoods for the city's middle class and rich. However, demographic shifts have seen many of these houses become low-income housing, and despite investment in the major institutions in the neighborhood, the residents have seen little change in their situation. The loss of the architectural heritage, along with the lack of mitigation measures for local residents, make the current situation a mess and something that needs to be changed, but there remain doubts that will happen. I have hope, however, that Avondale can be reinvigorated whilst preserving the historic buildings in the neighborhood and improving the lives of the residents in a meaningful, measurable, and noticeable way.
This was the main Canadian Tire warehouse situated on Sheppard Avenue in north Toronto. Built in the mid 1950's it featured a modern facade at the front entrance with large windows. It is currently being demolished to make way for a massive condominium project.
This has been demolished and the site is now looking very tidy.
Only the most cynical (and me) will think it's because the school opposite has been converted into (luxury?) apartments, which are now on the market.
Edit.
The site was redeveloped in 2017.
Flats?
I got to Lower Price Hill a bit too late to document these two historic three-floor brick buildings, a walk-up type apartment and a mixed use building that once housed a grocery. Constructed on State Avenue in the late 19th Century, these buildings are similar to others found in the neighborhood, but had a distinct individuality that has been lost, with all the building materials destined for the landfill. The buildings had been neglected before their abandonment, and left open to the elements, with the roof compromised and upper-floor windows missing, which left the building vulnerable to weathering and rot, which has led to its demolition. At least half a dozen other buildings exist in Lower Price Hill that are in a similar state to how these were before their demolition, and urgently need to be stabilized and secured, with new roof membranes and boards being needed over the windows to ensure their survival as the neighborhood sees some new attention from young people who are moving to the city, as well as to secure possible future low-income housing to ensure the neighborhood doesn't gentrify and become a wealthy enclave.
This pic shows the main building of west derby comp being demolished in march 2011.Remember having geography in room 5 with that guy who used to used all diffrent types on coloured chalk?Well the pile of rubble in the foreground is room 5.The main building classrooms you can see were the science labs and computer rooms.I went to west derby from 86-91 and my form teacher was mr seddon.Sad to see the old building like this but I suppose thats progress.These walls have saw many ups and downs laughter and tears over the years !
If this city had recycled more turn-of-the-last-century buildings instead of demolishing them, tourists would have a lot more reason to visit Chicago.
And maybe this city wouldn't be 700 million dollars in the hole, and having to bring dog-and-pony shows like NATO to town to "showcase our city". Between the first Daley and the second, there's not much city left to showcase. Taking NATO leaders to hear honest blues at the Maxwell Street Market? Touring the Stock Exchange, McGraw-Hill, Republic and Time-Life Buildings? The NorthWestern, LaSalle Street and Grand Central Stations? Not possible anymore.
The second Daley's last act of vandalism was tearing down practically the entire Michael Reese Hospital complex, including buildings designed by Walter Gropius, to make room for a pie-in-the-sky 2016 Olympics that we had no chance of landing once the beating death of Derrion Albert hit the headlines.
We've torn down entire blocks of elegant turn-of-the-century homes and buildings on the south side and west sides through fast-track demolition. Indiana, Prairie and Calumet from 39th to 55th look like they were hit by an atomic bomb. Ditto Englewood and North Lawndale. No wonder this city has lost a third of its population since 1950.
Oh well, NATO members can always gawk at these pieces of a Chicago that, thanks to short-term greed, no longer exists.
Okay, so this isn't the fictional North London comprehensive but this former comprehensive school in Grange Lane (Gateacre Community Comprehensive) did play the school.
The school, established the year the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was sent into Earth orbit (and so started the Space Race...1957 if you don't know) was built on two levels and in two phases, the upper school was built that year while the main lower school was built the year the first man went into space (1961 if you haven't guessed).
To me, I can just visualise streams of snorkel jacketed kids, with adidas, Puma or even Gola sports bags passing through these gate and, just like in the 1970s, they'd probably be a feral lot.
By the time I got to the school to take a few photos, demolition was already underway and I prefer to photograph old buildings BEFORE the demo gangs arrive because trust me, a building (or buildings) being demolished is like blood and gore - not a pretty sight.