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MANCHESTER IS
CHANGING AND IT'S CHANGING FAST- In Salford Quays, the Lowry
opened on 28 April 2000, and in Manchester city centre, scaffolding
and cranes are everywhere to be seen... New hotels are sprining
up all around, and Piccadilly Gardens is about to be dug up...
Here's just a small sample of the building work in progress
in Manchester in Spring 2000, concentrating on the area along
Deansgate. (Photos taken on a Ricoh digital camera)
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In May
2000, barriers suddenly appeared around the well-loved but
neglected Piccadilly Gardens, with signs saying "Construction
Site Keep Out", and notices about the closure of pathways.
The instigators
of this construction work, Manchester City Council, posted
no photographs or artists impressions of how their construction
project will look when it's finished.
Is this
the demise of Piccadilly as we know it?
Keep visiting
Eyewitness in Manchester to see how this scene looks in a
couple of month's time.
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We are
at the end of Deansgate looking across to the construction
site named Shambles West, even though the two medieval pubs
known as The Shambles have been removed from this location.
Beyond
the construction site is the new Marks and Spencer building.
To its right is the Royal Exchange building, on St Mary's
Gate, the street which meets Deansgate on the far right of
the picture.
On the
far left are the Britannic Buildings, and to their right,
the CIS building.
Soon,
a new development will rise up in front of us. In Spring 2000
the details of the design haven't been fully publicised, but
there is concern that the tower block will be out of proportion
with the neighbouring buildings.
Few people
are aware that on this once triangular block stood the magnificent
Victoria Buildings, a shopping, office and hotel complex opened
in the 1880's. It was damaged by incendiary bombs during the
1940 blitz and was subsequently torn down.
Eyewitness
in Manchester says: Reconstruct the Victoria Buildings! If
they can do it in Germany and Poland, why not here?
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From the
elevated ramp at the bottom of Deansgate we can see Manchester
Cathedral.
There's
traffic congestion in both directions, as usual, made worse
by the redevelopment work going on all around.
The blue
portakabins have been put up as part of the redevelopment
of this group of buildings, dubbed Manchester's 'medieval
quarter'.
Though
this area was once the heart of Manchester in medieval times,
none of the buildings date from that period, apart from a
few portions of the Cathedral. The term 'Medieval Quarter'
is therefore highly misleading and shouldn't be used.
Perhaps
this area should be called the "Cathedral Quarter".
What do
you think? E-mail info (at) aidan.co.uk
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We are
in St Mary's Parsonage, off Deansgate. A church once stood
on this spot. On the left are the National Buildings, built
in 1905, with the 1960's extension on the right now covered
in scaffolding.
When completed,
this will be one of the most prestigious residential developments
in Manchester city centre. According to the 1999 MEN advert,
prices are in the range from £110,000 to £1,000,000.
Unil recently,
these were the offices of National Vulcan.
This development
is one of the most striking examples of the transformation
of Manchester city centre from a nine to five office environment
to a place where people live and play, as well as work.
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We are
standing on Trinity Bridge, looking along the River Irwell
towards Manchester Cathedral.
To the
right we see the rear facade of the National Buildings, St
Mary's Parsonage, currently being converted into prestige
apartments.
Balconies
have been added, with views over the river, and Salford beyond.
The higher,
narrower section in the centre, covered in scaffolding is
the 1960's extension. At the top of this section will be a
penthouse apartment which will be one of the most expensive
in Manchester.
Across
the river to the left, on the Salford side, a new hotel is
under construction.
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We are
standing on the Manchester side of the award-winning Trinity
Bridge, also known as Calatrava Bridge, after its designer.
In Spring
2000, resurfacing work is in progress on the bridge.
On the
far left is the Inland Revenue building, and next to it, a
new hotel is under construction, with a distinctive curved
shape.
On the
far right we can just see Blackfriars Bridge, and rising above
it, Highland House.
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This is
the view from the steps the old entrance of Manchester Crown
Courts, overlooking Crown Square.
Across
the square is a large complex of office buildings constructed
in the 1970's. Like most buildings from that time, they are
functional, drab and uninspiring. They house the offices of
Manchester City Council education department, as well as the
Manchester Evening News.
As part
of the Spinningfields Development, proposed by Allied London
Properties, with the support of Manchester City Council, all
the buildings we see here, including the office block on the
left, will be demolished to make way for a new, large scale
development, the biggest outside the bomb-damaged area.
Manchester
Crown Courts, as well as the John Rylands Library and a few
other buildings, will be retained.
Check
back in five and ten years time to see the view from this
spot.
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Here is
Northcliffe House, one of the UK's most striiking examples
of American-style 1930's art deco architecture.
As part
of the Spinningfields Development, drawn up in early 2000
by Allied London properties, this building will be demolished
to make way for a five star hotel of mediocre design.
For nearly
seventy years, this rocket-shaped tower has stood out as one
of the city's most unusual landmarks, a futuristic dream from
the long-lost 1920's.
How much
longer will it be before demolition time comes?
Check
back in the months to come to witness the destruction of Northcliffe
House.
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In early
2000, the former Hospital for Skin Diseases opened on Quay
Street in 1906, is becoming a forgotten memory. It was abruptly
demolished in late 1999 to make way for a new office development,
construction of which has already commenced.
It stood
opposite the Opera House, which itself was once threatened
with demolition but thankfully saved.
A remarkable
lack of care for Manchester's architectural legacy is a feature
of Manchester City Council's post-war redevelopment policy.
The destruction
goes on in 2000, just as it did in the 1960's and 70's.
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