Haider Medical Centre, Stockport

History

A GP surgery opened in April 1974 and closed in January 2018.

Esoteric Eric

Co-Op, Hull

History

The Co-op Mosaic is a mural in Kingston upon Hull, England, by the artist Alan Boyson. Commissioned by the Hull and East Riding Co-operative Society, for the exterior of the side of their new store at 32-38 Jameson Street, it was erected in 1963. Depicting three stylised trawlers, it commemorates Hull's fishing fleet.

The mural is made from 4,224 panels, each 1 foot (30 cm) square and made in turn from 225 cubes of Italian glass - over one million in all. The panels are fixed to a curved, 66 by 64 feet (20 by 20 m), concrete wall.

The mural was built to Boyson's design, by Richards Tiles Ltd (subsequently part of Johnsons Tiles Ltd).

Included in the mural is the Latin text res per industriam prosperae ("the success of industry"). It also includes the letters "H U L L" in the ships' masts. These appear fortuitously and not through deliberate design.

After the Co-operative Society vacated the building, it was for a time a branch of BHS.

In May 2007 the mural was locally listed by Hull City Council, who described it was a "superb example of modern public art". The council subsequently pledged to retain the mural when the site is developed. In November 2016, a proposal by Hull Civic Society to give the mural statutory protection at a national level was rejected. The society announced its intention to appeal the decision. The mural was placed on the National Heritage List for England on 21 November 2019 at Grade II.

An additional mural by Boyson, inside the store on the fourth floor, was rediscovered during refurbishment in 2011. Depicting a shoal of fish, it is over 22 feet (6.7 m) long and is made from ceramic tiles, marble and stone. Located outside the former Skyline Ballroom (later Romeo and Juliet's, a nightclub), it had been hidden behind a false wall. The building's then owners, Manor Property Group, announced plans to feature it in their designs for the building's decor. It was made as part of the same commission as the exterior mural.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-op_Mosaic

Esoteric Eric

Carlton Theatre, Hull

History

Opened on 9th September 1928 with the silent film “Lonesome Ladies”. The Carlton Picture Theatre in Anlaby Road was designed by the firm of Blackmore & Sykes and was built by Messrs. Greenwood and Sons. It was run by Hull Picture Playhouse Ltd.

This was a lavish suburban cinema, with an elaborate green and gold sliding dome utilising Venetian glass and housing hundreds of concealed lights. Roman marble mosaics and painted plaster panels on the walls added to the sense of occasion engendered by a trip to the flicks. A Fitton & Haley organ was installed, but this was later removed to the more central Cecil Theatre and was destroyed when that theatre was bombed during WW II.

The cinema had two entrances, one in each of the two towers on the front corners of the building. Above the proscenium was the inscription (rather inapt given how soon “talkies” arrived) “A Picture is a poem without words”. There was a single balcony and, for its date, a surprisingly large car park.

It continued unaltered (save for minor war damage) until its closure in April 1967, after which it was simply converted to bingo usage which continued as a Mecca Bingo Club until 2008.

Source:

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/6216

Esoteric Eric

Queens Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent

History

The Queen's Theatre (originally Queen's Hall) is a theatre building in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is situated in Wedgwood Place in the town centre.

It is a Grade II listed building, listed on 19 April 1972.

It was commissioned as Burslem's town hall, to replace the town hall built in the 1850s, and was built by the architects Russell and Cooper. Completed in 1911, after the Federation of Stoke-on-Trent in 1910 made its original purpose obsolete, the building was opened as the Queen's Theatre, a venue for drama, concerts and other entertainments.

Requiring repairs, the theatre closed in 1998. From 2003 events occasionally took place; it closed again in 2014.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Theatre,_Burslem

Esoteric Eric

British Sugar, Bardney, Lincolnshire

 History

In 1925 Henry Beacon began to investigate the prospects of constructing a sugar beet factory in Lincolnshire. By the end of the year sufficient acreage had been found to grow the sugar beet but unfortunately a lack of capital resulted in the abandonment of hopes to construct a factory ready for the crop of 1926. 

The Lincolnshire Beet Sugar Company Ltd was established in 1927, with construction of the factory in Bardney beginning shortly after, to commence operation in October of that year. Due to high demand for sugar beet cropping in the area it was decided to construct a sister factory in Brigg, now demolished. Sugar beet was primarily supplied by rail in the early days of the site, with up to four trains, each pulling between thirty and forty wagons a day during the season. Beet was also delivered by road and barge. 

Transport by water ended in 1950 and the railway services ended just over twenty years later. In 1936 all thirteen independent sugar- producing companies were merged to become The British Sugar Corporation Ltd, with the name changed to British Sugar in 1982. During the Second World War German and Italian Prisoners of War were brought in to work at the site, from the nearby camp at Potterhanworth. 

The buildings were regularly extended and updated over the decades, but many of the early building were still in use right up to closure. In early 2001 it was announced that the factory would close, with the last load of beet arriving on the 30th January, some operations, including the packing plant would continue. 

In 2011 an application for demolition was submitted.

Source:

https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/british-sugar-bardney-lincolnshire-august-2020.124764/

Esoteric Eric

Stannington Sanatorium Boiler House, Northumberland

History

Stannington Sanatorium was the first purpose-built children's tuberculosis sanatorium in the UK which officially opened on 5 October 1907 near to the village of Stannington, Northumberland.

The boiler house is all that remains.

Source: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stannington_Sanatorium

Esoteric Eric

Markinch Power Station, Scotland

History

Tullis Russell Paper Mill in Glenrothes, Fife produced paper and board for use in cards, covers and premium packaging. The Markinch Power Station was built to provide electricity and steam to the paper mill. Construction began in 1912 and was completed in 1914.

Originally consisting of a single Parsons turbine and generator unit, the power station was enlarged in 1921 to add another two units. The ability to co-fire oil along with coal was also introduced at the same time. The powerhouse was then expanded once again and a fourth, larger Parsons turbine was added.

In 1979 David Russell expressed his concerns about energy shortages and suggests that Tullis Russell must save coal. He devised a method of continuous working to avoid closing down at weekends which saved 70 tonnes of coal. He also started looking for an alternative to burning oil.

In 1999 one of the boilers was converted to run on gas, but it was realised that cleaner and cheaper energy was still required. In 2012 RWE invested in the Glenrothes site to build a biomass power station to replace the ageing coal plant. The new plant provided both steam and power to Tullis Russell, and made the old plant obsolete.

Source:

https://www.bcd-urbex.com/tullis-russell-markinch-power-house-scotland/

Esoteric Eric