alphagamma
Well-Known Forumite
Wetherspoons probably preserves more buildings than anyone else. The Picture House is the only remaining bit of heritage in that photo. Riverside's peeling window frames are truly a thing of beauty, though.
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Old Express and Star building to be demolished
- Thread starter Confused
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Gramaisc
Forum O. G.
Not long after they had it, quite a large part of the ceiling fell down and they repaired it remarkably well - and it's been flooded twice and recovered
It was listed in 1989, when people could see the end approaching fast...
If the Sandonia was only nearer the town and not as far gone as it is.....
The SBC window frames are truly symbolic. At least glass hasn't fallen out for a while..
alphagamma
Well-Known Forumite
Just remembered they've knocked down the Burgess family seat.
I was in Wetherspoon's during the first couple of weeks of it opening when part of the ceiling fell down onto the table of a couple eating their meal - just a couple of metres away. Staff blocked the area off with chairs and gave them a fresh meal. The rest of us just carried on drinking.
HopesDad
Don't feed the troll
Except for the borough council offices which sadly will stay, everything you see will be demolished and that entire picture will be filled with a huge barn housing the new cinema. That will be complete, we are told, in 18 months time. In five years time the cinema company will have moved out because of poor attendances and the site will have fallen into disrepair, thereby matching the rest of the area by then.
Gramaisc
Forum O. G.
HopesDad
Don't feed the troll
It might have survived so far but anytime now, suddenly and when no one is looking, it will catch a terrible tree disease, become a danger to everyone and everything around it and have to be chopped down. Council policy.
alphagamma
Well-Known Forumite
It won't need a disease if it's considered 'dangerous'.
kyoto49
Well-Known Forumite
This is exactly what will happen. Why are people so short sighted. It will be guildhallesque, and by the time people realise it the lovely old cinema will be gone.
It's truly shocking to see how all these improvements have decimated and totally ruined what was a lovely part of town
Goldilox
How do I edit this?
To compare the Express and Star building to the Taj Mahal is perhaps pushing it a tad.
I wasn't comparing the E&S to the Taj Mahal, merely attempting to point out that by @basil's logic that is also 'just' a building.
That about sums it up for me. I don't think there's anything particularly special about it, beyond it being slightly nicer than what would replace it, but pulling down all the good-not-great buildings to put up new ones is what slowly erodes the town's character.
BobClay
Well-Known Forumite
It's kind of scary age wise when you consider you remember Burgess's, then a carpet shop, then a rock bar then a peculiar breeze block box which I presume is temporary. This pix I took a couple of years ago when Tesco's old shop was approaching it's end. Since I only get up to Stafford 2 or 3 times a year I get sudden slices of change. Makes you feel old ... (which of course, I am.) 
HopesDad
Don't feed the troll
I guess the breeze block box is some sort of electrical substation which will be incorporated into the new building.It's kind of scary age wise when you consider you remember Burgess's, then a carpet shop, then a rock bar then a peculiar breeze block box which I presume is temporary. This pix I took a couple of years ago when Tesco's old shop was approaching it's end. Since I only get up to Stafford 2 or 3 times a year I get sudden slices of change. Makes you feel old ... (which of course, I am.)
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Gramaisc
Forum O. G.
Not as old as you'll be tomorrow.....Makes you feel old ... (which of course, I am.)
proactive
Enjoying a drop of red.
I expect I'm probably alone in this but, though I can get worked up about any intentions to demolish the old cinema building or the old library, I really couldn't give a flying watsit what happens to the old E&S building. I was far more concerned when they demolished the old Wimpy Chalet and turned it into the steaming pile of crap that is Casa.
BobClay
Well-Known Forumite
Withnail
Well-Known Forumite
The odd thing about the reasoning of about half of the people contributing to this thread is the fact that you only have to look on the other side of the road to see that that hasn't changed, pretty much, at all since any of those pictures, any of them, as far back as you wish to go, were taken.
And yet somehow we have brought a beautiful 'part' of the town to ruin?
Given that the building next door to the one in question pretty much exploded, it isn't too difficult to see why that particular part of Stafford was 'redeveloped'.
Get a proverbial grip - we are not about to lose anything of any historic or architectural value. We are not about to gain anything of the same, admittedly, but a cinema that you'd actually like to go to has to be something of a plus.
Apropos 'architectural' merit - Pevsner was only stirred by the Shire Hall and the County Buildings...
I agree that buildings are not 'just buildings', they are also not necessarily just 'machines for living' - buildings are works of art. Now this is important because they are the art with which we continuously engage - if anyone read what i wrote re. charity/taxation it is sort of comparable ie architecture is a de facto 'unconscious' art - we engage with it whether we choose to or not, it is the very background to our lives.
Whether consciously or not, it is for that reason that such change - to the background, to the mise en scène - disturbs us so.
Gotta say, i'm not much fussed though.
And yet somehow we have brought a beautiful 'part' of the town to ruin?
Given that the building next door to the one in question pretty much exploded, it isn't too difficult to see why that particular part of Stafford was 'redeveloped'.
Get a proverbial grip - we are not about to lose anything of any historic or architectural value. We are not about to gain anything of the same, admittedly, but a cinema that you'd actually like to go to has to be something of a plus.
Apropos 'architectural' merit - Pevsner was only stirred by the Shire Hall and the County Buildings...
I agree that buildings are not 'just buildings', they are also not necessarily just 'machines for living' - buildings are works of art. Now this is important because they are the art with which we continuously engage - if anyone read what i wrote re. charity/taxation it is sort of comparable ie architecture is a de facto 'unconscious' art - we engage with it whether we choose to or not, it is the very background to our lives.
Whether consciously or not, it is for that reason that such change - to the background, to the mise en scène - disturbs us so.
Gotta say, i'm not much fussed though.