Whores, Politicians And Ugly Buildings

[Mission]

How about those council blocks of flats between Victoria Street and the old bus station? They look like they've been teleported from somewhere like Birmingham.

 

Hello CM.

 

[nipper]

The Bank of Scotland near the Bottleneck car park. What were they drinking when they designed that?

 

All the Architects drawings shown in the newspapers for this site, in the years prior to demolition displayed a lovely design very much in keeping with the rest of Loch Promenade. There was no big gap in the middle either - between it and Regent Street, although of course this will be filled in. One day.

 

There soon appeared plans for the grotesque building we are greeted with today, as we drive along the promenade. The building is almost identical to one built just prior to it, in Jersey or Guernsey (I forget which).

 

It would appear that this design could have been lifted from elsewhere, thus saving a huge amount of cash on design work.

[Gladys]

How about those council blocks of flats between Victoria Street and the old bus station? They look like they've been teleported from somewhere like Birmingham.

 

Hello CM.

 

Yes, a certain other Forum is closing. Better behave CM.

[Karellen]

The Bank of Scotland near the Bottleneck car park. What were they drinking when they designed that?

 

All the Architects drawings shown in the newspapers for this site, in the years prior to demolition displayed a lovely design very much in keeping with the rest of Loch Promenade. There was no big gap in the middle either - between it and Regent Street, although of course this will be filled in. One day.

 

There soon appeared plans for the grotesque building we are greeted with today, as we drive along the promenade. The building is almost identical to one built just prior to it, in Jersey or Guernsey (I forget which).

 

It would appear that this design could have been lifted from elsewhere, thus saving a huge amount of cash on design work.

 

What about the ugly church on Loch Prom. That is no more in keeping with the surrounding architecture than the bank of scotland.

[nipper]

I preferred the original.

 

The whole of Douglas Promenade should be precious to us. As much a sense of identity as the Crescents are to Bath:

 

 

Over the past 10 years we have JCK'd much of the beautiful Victorian Architecture of Queens Promenade and replaced it with modular money making apartments. The destruction of The Villiers, Loch Promenade Methodist Church and what is now Tower House have served to irradicate much of our historical identity.

 

Thankfully the vision of those who own the remainder of Loch Promenade allows us some reminder of our heritage. That is heritage with a small 'h'.

 

Perhaps it is high time the likes of Bath demolished their own identities and replaced the Crescents with aluminium and blocky type flatlets. Perhaps it is time for us to get rid of the Planners and allow a simple free-for-all system.

[mojomonkey]

I preferred the original.

 

The whole of Douglas Promenade should be precious to us. As much a sense of identity as the Crescents are to Bath:

 

 

Over the past 10 years we have JCK'd much of the beautiful Victorian Architecture of Queens Promenade and replaced it with modular money making apartments. The destruction of The Villiers, Loch Promenade Methodist Church and what is now Tower House have served to irradicate much of our historical identity.

 

Thankfully the vision of those who own the remainder of Loch Promenade allows us some reminder of our heritage. That is heritage with a small 'h'.

 

Perhaps it is high time the likes of Bath demolished their own identities and replaced the Crescents with aluminium and blocky type flatlets. Perhaps it is time for us to get rid of the Planners and allow a simple free-for-all system.

 

I think it would be more than slightly pushing things to compare Douglas to the Georgian splendour of Bath Crescents. I find Douglas just like many other places in the world, there are some nice buildings and some rather nasty ones. A lot of architecture is defined by trends and economic climates of the time.

[nipper]

Which is exactly my point.

 

Had Loch Promenade not been ravished by demolition over the past ten years, then I am sure it would hold an architectural status not dissimilar to the splendours of Bath.

 

Likewise the destruction of the Hotels along Queens Promenade. 10 years ago that area was mostly as it stood in Victorian times.

[cheeky boy]

The Planners must shoulder much of the blame for approving the designs in the first place

 

The Planning committee presumably includes a number of qualified and experienced professionals who should be able to look at a plan and know whether the finished building is going to look ok and complement it's surroundings

 

I think most people with fair eyesight could see that the apartment block on Queens Prom was going to look crap

[Grianane]

for real ugly you have to consider awarding first prize to Kings and Queen Court in Ramsey. If the outside isn't bad enough a walk down the windowless interior corridors gives a feel for what the walk to an electric chair must be like.....

[John Wright]

As they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

I for one applaud the daring of some modern architcture and the best of it matches up to and with the best of the past. Its the mediocre and poor that doesn't last, impress or mix.

 

It really is time we got to grips with this and allowed more good modern architecture instead of going for pastiche, whimsy and repro.

 

When we have the bravery look at the results, Douglas power station, the incinerator, the lemon squeezer, the Nook, the loos in Nobles, the Crescent, even the wedding cake. There are hundreds of gems in Douglas There are hundreds of terible failures.

 

The promenade has never been a coherent whole like Bath, it is wrong to try and compare. it consisted of a mix of buildings from a late 18th century square squat plazzo in granite (with applalling 20th century additions) to boarding houses of low build quaility built to a number of designs between 1880 and 1910 plus the Palace and Summerland and that was at its height.

 

Just look at how the Gaiety and Sefton block almost melt into the later style of the Arcade and Villa. Good examples of 1890, 1920's and 1910's. all modern and top rate at their birth and all integrating beautifully and with careful conservation mellowing fantastically.

 

Go look again at the Victorian houses on the prom, especially Loch Prom, their bays the heights of each floor and the windows on each floor and the turrets and over window points. Then go and look at the Royal bank of Scotland Building. The proprtions are mirrored beautifully. Go look at what the Villiers looked like and compare. its a brilliant modern adaptation of skyline and outline and what is more there is the fun of the top most bits taking on the end of pier harbour masters buildings, almost nautical. Ten out of ten

 

Then look again at the Promenade Methodist Church the old one had but one spire or peak It broke the run of the roof tops of the houses. Not so the new one it takes two house spaces, it has two sets of peaks. Look even closer see the texture on the front and sides. It is good 1960's architecture It does fit in.

 

So the Hilton is wrong for being a square box or cube. Thats what the Castlemona is, isn't it? No the Hilton is wrong for being uninspiring and run down and tired. It was poor architecture in its day and will not stand the course. Never mind it is to go, and the Castlemona extension, in its place a new hotel and a boutique 5 star hotel and 500 apartmenst. its the largest development site on the prom!

 

Yes I agree that the Dolge offices are a disgrace, pastiche and out of scale mock georgian, dominatiing and ruining the georgian houses in Finch Road below. There are some successes. The new Tynwald entrance using the old registries building is a triumph. so is the St Andrews House tower and modern building integration. I even like the Majestic apartmenst and some of South Ramsey.

 

Clearly we will never please anyone. Generally standards are poor. Housing is worst, built down to a price and not up to a standard. Why should we have endless variations on a standard theme instead of exciting modern design and style and modern materials making energy efficient new homes out of latest materials.

 

Of course my top ten and my bottom ten would be the wrong way up for some people. So?

 

Top Twelve

Lord Street Flats, for design, purpose, practicality and longevity

Nobles Park Art Deco Loos, an ocean liner ships bridge with lettering to die for

Gaiety Arcade and Villa complex, showing how three different styles can blend effortlessly

Lemons Squeezer, what a sense of humour how practical, what a waste of the restaurant to have offices there.

Tynwald, Government Offices and the new entrance

South Ramsey, brave new world 1960's slum redevelopment

Castlemona, pure unadulterated aristocratic Georgian

St Georges Douglas

The Parade Castletown

Incinerator and Power Station

RBSI

Axa building, pretend deco with that lovely viking and all that detailing

Firestation. How hated that was, no commenst now.

Whats left of Loch promenade for its breathtaking unity of design

 

Bottom 12 or so

 

Anything designed by the Manx Museum and the conservation lobby, twee, pastiche, weak and true blots on the landscape

most of the promenade gerry built, no foundations, falling down beyond life and purpose but preserved for decades as the holy cow of tourism

dandara land

Clinches complex on the quay, a true pastiche

Most new offices, except those two wonderful glass ones on Circular road

B&Q, Shoprite Stores, Agrimark, Tescos, You can hide or disguise a hangar, you know

Chester Street shops and carpark dark and oppressive

JG Kelly flats on promenade

First time buyers rabbit hutches, so small that they would not be allowed to be occupied as council houses

The airport for refusing to show public art

The new prison for being a white elephant, un needed, too big and in the wrong place. If we had a proper review of the system we only need about 20 places in a secure unit. Give the authorities 140 and they will fill it.

the stubby lights and fume chimmneys for Iris

[nipper]

Hmmm, an interesting post which should stir up further debate.

 

Regarding the entrance to the new Tynwald Building, the brickwork certainly is "to die for"

click it and view:

 

The brickwork to the entrance of the New Tynwald Building epitomises the standards of building on the Isle of Man to a tee. Over-priced, un-supervised cowboys. The Architect, Clerk of Works and 'bricklayer' should have their knackers strung up over the doorway as a reminder to the rest of the Constyruction Industry on the Isle of man.

[mona]

Go look again at the Victorian houses on the prom, especially Loch Prom, their bays the heights of each floor and the windows on each floor and the turrets and over window points. Then go and look at the Royal bank of Scotland Building. The proprtions are mirrored beautifully.

?? Bullshit. No amount of gross verbosity could persuade there is any 'mirroring,' mimicking or anything else other than sticking two fingers up at the existing Victorian Loch architecture.

 

The new Tynwald entrance using the old registries building is a triumph.

A triumph? A bleeding triumph of what exactly? (see above post)

 

Nobles Park Art Deco Loos, an ocean liner ships bridge with lettering to die for

The lettering is rather unusual, true, but quite bog standard (excuse the pun and all that) lettering from a Letraset catalogue, which every architectural technician at the time had in a draw by their drawing board. That particular font, I forget its name just now, was usually used at the time for 'Spacey' futuristic stuff.

 

I also thing a bit of spin has been put on the Nobles Park Loos here by JW. There is little to be proud of, the building has a rather sordid and also unpleasant history.

[thesultanofsheight]

John Wright' date='Oct 6 2007, 08:46 PM' post='271102']

 

Top Twelve

 

What a bizarre list:-

 

Lord Street Flats, for design, purpose, practicality and longevity

 

All those green glazed tiled entrances. Vaguely reminisent of a Victorian toilet, with the same smell of stale Victorian piss emanating from the stairwells.

 

Nobles Park Art Deco Loos, an ocean liner ships bridge with lettering to die for

 

Never been in there. But I hardly think that saving loos is doing anything to preserve Manx architecture. I can't imagine much worse than having a crap in a faux Ocean Going Liner.

 

Gaiety Arcade and Villa complex, showing how three different styles can blend effortlessly

 

A lovely Victorian theatre now nicely complimented by stressed concrete pillars and breeze block faux Victoriana. Even the bandstand has disappeared.

 

Lemons Squeezer, what a sense of humour how practical, what a waste of the restaurant to have offices there.

 

The only Manx building of a certain era that has not had the decency to contract concrete cancer and die. That's the real shame.

 

Tynwald, Government Offices and the new entrance

 

Where to start?

 

South Ramsey, brave new world 1960's slum redevelopment

 

Shit new world of concrete more like. It looks like the most dysmal set from Get Carter. Shitty concrete structures built to a cost all of which passed their sell by date about 5 years after they were built.

 

Incinerator and Power Station

 

One an overgrown corrugated iron shed built as the villains lair in a never made Bond film. The other an expensive dogs breakfast that lights up like a Christmas tree for no real purpose.

 

RBSI

 

An overgrown B & Q greehouse

 

Axa building, pretend deco with that lovely viking and all that detailing

 

On a freezing cold day when its blowing a hooly in the Isle of Man you walk past and think "Its not f**king Miami is it so what's the point"

 

Firestation. How hated that was, no commenst now.

 

How hated it was? France is littered with crappy 70's industrial architecture like this. It was obviously designed by an architect that had 5 wagon loads of cheap roof tiles left over from previous jobs.

 

Whats left of Loch promenade for its breathtaking unity of design.

 

What is left indeed!

[Spartacus]

Mr Sheik, a pint is yours should our paths cross - if only for mentioning Get Carter!! Top post though, couldn't agree more.

 

Unfortunately my walk to work involves traversing the length of Market St, which encapsulates everything that is has gone wrong with Douglas and it's wonderful "planning" department. Granted, it's now little more than an access road but it includes such delights as Chester St car park (a sawn off version of the Get Carter car park but even more boring), Markwell House (more suited to Slough), Markies & the multi-storey and worst of all, the insurance building at the Victoria St end which stands on stilts. Even the good folk of Cumbernauld would complain about this.. Then, towering above you are the arse end of the Lloyds and former Skandia building, reminding you how soulless the town has become.

 

However, the worst thing about Market St is the buildings which aren't there. Instead there are barren bits of wasteland used by Mr & Mrs finance sector to park this year's bonus, their new 4 x 4's, Bentleys and sports cars. Very sad.

 

So, to business. My top 10 on the shitlist:

 

The Hilton.

Winerite on Victoria Rd, Douglas.

That P.O building on Circular Road, mentioned already.

The old ATS/Japan Direct eyesore opposite Pully Bridge

Peel power station

Chester St

The insurance building at the end of Market St, on stilts so Mr Home Counties can park underneath.

The cafe at the top of Snaefell

The Plumbing place on South Quay. Fine on Spring Valley Industrial Estate but there?

 

Finally, I'll nominate a place that isn't even finished yet: The pavillion or whatever it is in Noble's Park.

OK, so I hope it'll be fine inside, but's just so bland. It actually makes the police station look good by comparison! So I'm not expecting Gothic splendour, however surely some thought could have gone into it?

 

On a positive note, there's still a heck of a lot to admire on this beatiful island that they haven't demolished. Yet..

[ponderer]

Worst Building: The Hilton. It set the (poor) standard for the next 40 years or more

 

Best Building: Castletown Police Station - stunning. Baillee Scott at his best. We should make much more of his Manx legacy...

 

http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/to...wn/pstation.htm