You may struggle to identify this location at first glance because it looks so different. Certainly I got a big surprise last Sunday as I turned the corner from behind the Central Library.
The entire block that stood between St. Peters Square and the Odeon is now a pile of rubble. Not a great shock in itself because it had been boarded up and empty for some time.
And doesn’t the old cinema (which is under threat itself) look majestic as we see a side that has been hidden for 40 years?
It’s almost a post-apocalyptic vista from this reverse angle. In the background you can see the Midland Hotel and the Library which is still undergoing renovation work.
I’ll remember the building mainly as the site of the Tecno photo shop for two decades.
But I reckon this is one building that we can file under “no great loss”? The Odeon would be a different matter.
2 Comments
Good heavens! thats a blast, no pun intended, from the past. I remember going to the Dutch Pancake House as a little boy for Birthday parties,. Now I’m 50 its just a memory , but lots of fond ones.
Have to agree though, the building won’t be missed but, what’s going up in its place?
g7uk.com
Just for a change it’s…
…another tall building! This photo was taken on 2 January 2013. I believe the building is for the accountants KPMG.
The whole of St. Peter’s Square is being decimated I’m afraid. Originally the Cenotaph was positioned so it was visible along all the streets but now is to be shunted off into a corner near the town hall. All the trees in the Peace Garden have been felled and there will be more trams running through the Square.
Also recently it’s come to light that Century House — the white building to the left of the one which was demolished — is itself under threat with an eyesore planned for the site.