I'll Miss It

[poliphilo]

The railway warehouse on Queens Rd had stood empty since Dr Beeching closed the goods yard it served. There had been talk of finding some other use for it- as workshops or a hotel or even a railway museum- but nothing ever happened. I crept inside once with my sister and her future husband (it was very dank and bird-limey) and she took photographs.

Last week we noticed that they'd closed part of the road. On Friday the machines moved in. Now there's nothing there but a fifteen foot mound of rubble. 

It had a curved facade (dictated I believe by the shape of the site) which made it one of the more attractive buildings in a town that doesn't have much good architecture.

Comments

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Oh! That's such a shame! But it's perversely reassuring to learn that there are other parts of the country where the planning authorities are a bunch of hopeless, lousy philistines who don't realise that our industrial heritage has the potential to attract tourists and galavanise community spirit.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Oldham has demolished most of its 19th century industrial buildings. A time is coming, I think, when we'll be sorry.

On the other hand, what does one do with a huge old mill or warehouse? Where is the money for reinvention and restoration going to come from?

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

I've seen some lovely restorations - we've had local mills adapted as flats or office space, or even retail outlets...

Where there's a will, there's a way...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

There are some round here as well. I wish there were more.

[(Anonymous)]

How sad - I remember taking those photos! What a dark and interesting building it was.
Hope you and Ailz got my emails to you both.
Jenny x

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Do you still have those photos?

Thanks for your emails. Ailz says "sorry" for not replying but she's still fighting a cold and feeling drained and empty. She went to the Doc yesterday and he gave her anti-biotics.

I wish, I wish, I wish, the sun would come out....