Furry Mongoose Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Evening peeps, Long time no posting for me but I've noticed something recently that is really chuffing me off. What the hell has happened to Villiers square? I walked through there this lunchtime and saw the most disgusting pile of mess I've ever seen on the island. For those who don't know where I'm talking about, It's the little area by Royal Bank House on the prom with lots of big stone seating. Where do I start? The water wall thing is filled with rubbish, metal fencey things and traffic cones. In fact - there is a lot of rubbish everywhere. The whole place is covered in graffiti. There is a lot of broken glass. The once lovely light things they once had going on are generally looking past disrepair or kindly removed by some charming bit of scum. Oh yeah, and it's normally filled with skateboarders. Now - I hate to be a bitch and I'm not saying they've done all the damage - but they have do have a skate thing up at Nobles Park. And the best thing about this - this place is less than 3 years old! Blatantly had a ton of money put into it to do it up at the time. Despite it being just a bit too concretey I once looked quite fondly on the place and it always used to be full of people munching on a sunny lunchtime. I doubt even on a nice day you could pay anyone to sit in there now. I'm not sure if Douglas Corporation are actually cleaning it and then 10 mins later some scum is coming along and wrecking it again but something really needs doing because it's one of the first things you see as you get off the boat - lovely little eyesore for our already very, very few tourists. I'll post some pics if I can at some stage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caringwife Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 There was a very strong smell of glue there on saturday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_kitty Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 It would make things slightly better if them little skater dudes dressed a bit better and not quite so scruffy but oh well, its kind of sad the way that place has ended up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ean Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Hmm i think a dresscode would be a tad too far don't you kitty? Haven't seen the state of it recently but it seemed okay over christmas. Perhaps the council have not been aware that the place has been trashed, or are waiting for time to do it. The skaters have hung around there since the day it was opened and didn't seem to be doing much damage but hey things can change. It's never looked particularly attractive anyway (concrete has never been attractive, not even in the 70's) so anything that makes it look worse needs sorting out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_kitty Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 According to my brother (who used to be a skater) the skate park at Nobles park is crap, i dont blame kids for not wanting to go there to be honest, ive heard bad stories about what goes on up there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ean Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 What the feck did he want, marble ramps? The skatepark is fine, unfortunately there seems to be an unsavoury element who want to trash the place all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 This thread needs pics. Make it so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesemonster2005 Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 The Villiers is older than 3 years. I remember going there before I left the island unless it's changed since. It was just a concrete square with seats, some plants, a view over the prom and a portable loo. It's the shittiest excuse for a square I've ever seen. How about having market stalls on it in summer or creating a large grassy area for Athol-Street types to lay about in on hot summers days? The skate park in Nobles seems OK but it is often full of unsavoury characters because it's a little out of the way and they can do what they like there without being seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhumsaa Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 It was redone and opened July 2003.... it wasn't amazing but someone had put money and effort in and at night it looked quite nice with a few lights etc... I'm not going to jump to conclusions and blame skaters for trashing the place but they are to blame for damaging the concrete benches and seating areas by constantly trying to grind along them marking and chipping the stone and wood ruining the sitting areas. They also bring a load of "things" into the square to jump over around etc which then end up in the water area. That aside a bit of upkeep by Jonny Whoever would go a long way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 You mean what is there now is actually the finished result. I always thought it was a work in progress. If you use it regularly as somewhere to sit and have lunch or whatever then why not do something about it. Complain to the corporation or get a group of people together and do it yourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyconcrete Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 I went in there not so long back, apart from the Wine-o's drinking buckfast/super-T and having mumbling arguments (feck), some dudes grinding and jumping on the adjacent benches and the amount of shit blowing round it was quite nice (not). Not really the most ideal place to go and chill for 30 mins. Now it's basically a crappy, concrete open place - which I find really hard to understand. I remember when it was first opened and it was 'ok', nothing spectacular, but it was an ok place to eat at lunch for a change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Flynn Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 The Villiers Square was meant to be a highlight for Douglas. It only took 30 years to come about from the knocking down of the old R.C. Cain's, Drapery shop warehouse which closed in 1968 to the building of a car park to the knocking down of the Villiers and some of the old hotels. I am appalled that this is the end result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 I do wonder how unworldly you would have to be to make a large open plan space in a town centre out of concrete and then be surprised that it is taken over by skaters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollag Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 [ And they destroyed one of the few remaining bits of the old sea wall to build the square. So muc for the square celebrating the Islands Heritage!!! More like delivering the kiss of death to it!!! All is not lost Stuart, that piece of wall is still there behind WH Smiths. I spent a lot of years working in and around the Villiers and i cant recall any original wall there or up the Athol end. The Villiers had some cool cellars at it, feral cats and ferrets all over the place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhumsaa Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 It could have been so much better is the real crying shame but it's no excuse for the way it has fallen away now I have phoned the douglas corpy in the past but they don't give a damn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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