Possibly suffering bird muck related diseases: Myself and Alley
Well, for this little number, it was decided that we’d have a little break from the depths of our normal stomping, or should that be crawling grounds, and hit something at ground level.
With the intrepidation rising around a long winded mission on at the moment, we battled the tunnel vision and took advantage of the finer weather up top. “Do you do Sundays…5am?†Well, there’s an offer to be taken, “Yeah, I’m easy!†So, Sunday arrives, a beautiful shiny morning to be had playing out. OK, so we decided that 5am was a little too eager, 2 up, rolling…… at 0730.
Having been primed that the job included a little scaff’ climbing, and we’d be rubbing shoulders with a few birds, we popped open the boot, shoes on, cameras on backs, and off we went.
It became apparent that I wasn’t born to be a climber, and Alley wasn’t to become a tightrope walker either.
After a few moments of foot slippage and trying to hide my lack of climbing prowess, we scaled onto the balcony and took refuge round the back of the clock tower. “Oh, I forgot the gloves!†“Errr yeah, sod them, I’ll have to get down againâ€
We didn’t enter the main building because it’s quite well sealed, and not wanting to get into B & E , we left it at that. The tower was a different story. Given the close proximity of the scaffolding and tower, we made best of the space available to shoot and move around. The inside of the tower is well used by the local Pigeons, so without the protection of gloves, it was a don’t touch bugger all affair.
Background information
Once standing proudly on the corner of Plymouth Grove and Shakespeare Street, later renamed Legh Street, with Victorian housing butting up to the hotel walls, it now stands isolated in a sad state of repair. It was built in 1873 from Red brick with sandstone sill-bands, dressings and a shaped parapet. It has a prominent first floor balcony, cantilevered out and furnished with cast iron railings. The main central doorway set under a projected balcony supported by a pair of coupled columns.
The clock tower, supported by a smaller doorway and columns, has a narrow brick body, flanked by pencil-like columns supporting a twin bracketed cast iron cornice. A wooden staircase winds its way up to the clock mechanism with large windows allowing light to pour into the tower. The top of the staircase allows access to the workings of the clocks, each pedimented on three sides of the tower. Crowning the tower is a small Cupola.
The building was granted Grade II listed status in October 1974. There is a current planning application to convert the building into a Restaurant with self contained accommodation.
Onwards and Upwards
Aside from the external brickwork and bird muck, this shows the detailed woodwork that went into making
housings and support work for the clock faces and mechanisms.
The clock tower wrapped in scaffold, according to reports, I think the developers have bigger fish to fry inside the
building, bit of a wreck, dampness and rot has set in due to the place being used for cultivation of plants of the “doobie†variety.
Our entry point, must be a good hermetic seal, for the whiff behind certainly wasn’t clear to us yet.
Crunchy under foot, the smell now very present.
The brass bevelled transfer gears still in-situ
On-site security
Well, for this little number, it was decided that we’d have a little break from the depths of our normal stomping, or should that be crawling grounds, and hit something at ground level.
With the intrepidation rising around a long winded mission on at the moment, we battled the tunnel vision and took advantage of the finer weather up top. “Do you do Sundays…5am?†Well, there’s an offer to be taken, “Yeah, I’m easy!†So, Sunday arrives, a beautiful shiny morning to be had playing out. OK, so we decided that 5am was a little too eager, 2 up, rolling…… at 0730.
Having been primed that the job included a little scaff’ climbing, and we’d be rubbing shoulders with a few birds, we popped open the boot, shoes on, cameras on backs, and off we went.
It became apparent that I wasn’t born to be a climber, and Alley wasn’t to become a tightrope walker either.
After a few moments of foot slippage and trying to hide my lack of climbing prowess, we scaled onto the balcony and took refuge round the back of the clock tower. “Oh, I forgot the gloves!†“Errr yeah, sod them, I’ll have to get down againâ€
We didn’t enter the main building because it’s quite well sealed, and not wanting to get into B & E , we left it at that. The tower was a different story. Given the close proximity of the scaffolding and tower, we made best of the space available to shoot and move around. The inside of the tower is well used by the local Pigeons, so without the protection of gloves, it was a don’t touch bugger all affair.
Background information
Once standing proudly on the corner of Plymouth Grove and Shakespeare Street, later renamed Legh Street, with Victorian housing butting up to the hotel walls, it now stands isolated in a sad state of repair. It was built in 1873 from Red brick with sandstone sill-bands, dressings and a shaped parapet. It has a prominent first floor balcony, cantilevered out and furnished with cast iron railings. The main central doorway set under a projected balcony supported by a pair of coupled columns.
The clock tower, supported by a smaller doorway and columns, has a narrow brick body, flanked by pencil-like columns supporting a twin bracketed cast iron cornice. A wooden staircase winds its way up to the clock mechanism with large windows allowing light to pour into the tower. The top of the staircase allows access to the workings of the clocks, each pedimented on three sides of the tower. Crowning the tower is a small Cupola.
The building was granted Grade II listed status in October 1974. There is a current planning application to convert the building into a Restaurant with self contained accommodation.
Onwards and Upwards
Aside from the external brickwork and bird muck, this shows the detailed woodwork that went into making
housings and support work for the clock faces and mechanisms.
The clock tower wrapped in scaffold, according to reports, I think the developers have bigger fish to fry inside the
building, bit of a wreck, dampness and rot has set in due to the place being used for cultivation of plants of the “doobie†variety.
Our entry point, must be a good hermetic seal, for the whiff behind certainly wasn’t clear to us yet.
Crunchy under foot, the smell now very present.
The brass bevelled transfer gears still in-situ
On-site security
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