Covid Vac, (Carer), at 'Centre For Life' N'cle in about 10 days.. so thought to 'recce' it on an internet map. LOL! ;) 'Normal' maps crap...'places of Interest'... (Hatchet Harry's Axe Throwing' (?) ... could make no sense of the thing! :o SO, Resorted to the 'Aerial' view... Well, the Luftwaffe did! ;D Christ! Have THEY been BACK? :o Newcastle has been 'BLITZED' since the 90s! What a Horror! :o Having found the Railway Station, I can make a rough location for 'The Objective'... but rather think that getting the' Battle Bus' and 'infiltrate' on foot might be a 'better' :( option than 'vehicular insertion' and trying to find an LUP!! ;D. Just hope Ma's 2nd jab will still be Local! :( WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO NEWCASTLE ??? !!! :( :( :(
Quote from: Heedless Horseman on 04 March 2021, 03:10:47 AM
:( WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO NEWCASTLE ??? !!! :( :( :(
Filled it wi Goeides
Ian, I think the Geordies where there before the 1990s
I lived in Newcastle in the mid 90s, and having been back approx 10 years ago (was going to write 5, but then did some better sums...) there has been huge changes around the city centre. The whole Centre for Life being one of them. I'd avoid driving in, if you can get a bus or train in, then the centre is compact to walk around.
Well dey wuz der last time I wuz - 1960's
Personally, I find 'Urban Regeneration' Depressing, rather than 'vibrant'. :(
When I was a 'student' at N'cle Poly, (early 80s), there was a mildly eccentric lecturer... quite a nice guy. The 'type' who had his glasses on a cord and, I think,' had a 'Deerstalker' Hat! Lecture 'Fun' :d was to get him going about 'His Passion'... old architectural features! I think his 'hobby' was to go around the 'Toon' in mornings, taking photos of 'interesting' brickwork, chimneys, etc! :)
I rather think that it might have been a 'good' experience to accompany him on such an excursion... but... :(
Probably long 'gone', now. :( I wonder what He would have made of all the redevelopments? Maybe, he might have thought 'New' architectural 'Design', 'exciting'? :o
For Myself... it may be 'clever'... but 'soul-less'... despite the 'passions' of 'creators'. :(
I think it depends on what the urban area was like to start with.
The quay side developments in Ncl have certainly made an area that was deserted into a really popular recreational area of bars etc.. The developments to the west of the centre are perhaps a bit more questionable, but have certainly taken some pretty run down residential areas to make in to ones that people want to come into for museums and the like.. But there is the question that can the parking and other infrastructure support this? And you have moved people away from the city centre.
Quote from: fred. on 05 March 2021, 08:07:18 PM
I think it depends on what the urban area was like to start with.
The quay side developments in Ncl have certainly made an area that was deserted into a really popular recreational area of bars etc.. The developments to the west of the centre are perhaps a bit more questionable, but have certainly taken some pretty run down residential areas to make in to ones that people want to come into for museums and the like.. But there is the question that can the parking and other infrastructure support this? And you have moved people away from the city centre.
True enough, Fred. There were some pretty squalid places! There still will be... depends on the 'recreational activiities' that occur! :o LOL! 90s, I regularly ate my lunch on a bench on a 'tarted up' stepped bank. Thought the occasional 'poo' was Dog. THEN found a 'ripped' off pair of male underpants... :o :'(
I tend to be 'nostalgic' for 'old things'. Late 80s, I sometimes worked on the Counter at the old Head Post Office opposite St. Nicks...now residential. To me, it was a wonderful place! Counter was, (Of course!), screened, and it was BIG, 'airy', (a bit chilly in Winter!)... but with polished wood / brass. By my day, floor was lino, but there would still have been a 'proper' floor under it! It Just 'felt' 'Professional' :) I personally, 'Loathe' the modern concept of 'customer friendly' Banks, etc... with somebody standing at a 'desk' in the middle of a room... and that is as a CUSTOMER! ;D
Upstairs was the Admin, etc...with twisty passageways and 'inexplicable' steps? :o Small 'sections' had their 'Dens' in little 'cubby hole' offices... NOW, you only see this stuff in old movies/TV series! The Toilets were amazing... overhead cisterns like small bathtubs with pull chains... AND THEY NEVER BLOCKED!!! ;D ;D ;D
There was 'another floor', I think, But THAT was somewhere that you did not wish to go... and when 'The 'Gods' DID step down... to cash a cheque.. well, they were not always 'Gods'... sometimes they 'thought' they were... but WE were 'COUNTER STAFF'!!! and HAD to play 'Their' rules! They got 'miffed', sometimes! :o ;D
I wish that I could have explored the downstairs, (By my time, disused}, old 'Sorting Office' and 'back rooms'... but were locked off. :( There WILL have been a Basement.. and just what MAY have been 'down there'...??? WW2 / Cold War??? Don't know! :o Maybe, just MY imagination! ;) ;D
In the 90s, we, what was left of us, ('Counters' had gone :( )... were relocated to a 'Big Shed'! ;D :( 'Warehouse' environment and 'workstations'...(with some 'cosy' bits for Admin roles)... and frequently blocked Toilets! :'( Forgive My Nostalgia! ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: Heedless Horseman on 05 March 2021, 05:26:51 PM
Personally, I find 'Urban Regeneration' Depressing, rather than 'vibrant'. :(
When I was a 'student' at N'cle Poly, (early 80s), there was a mildly eccentric lecturer... quite a nice guy. The 'type' who had his glasses on a cord and, I think,' had a 'Deerstalker' Hat! Lecture 'Fun' :d was to get him going about 'His Passion'... old architectural features! I think his 'hobby' was to go around the 'Toon' in mornings, taking photos of 'interesting' brickwork, chimneys, etc! :)
I rather think that it might have been a 'good' experience to accompany him on such an excursion... but... :(
Probably long 'gone', now. :( I wonder what He would have made of all the redevelopments? Maybe, he might have thought 'New' architectural 'Design', 'exciting'? :o
For Myself... it may be 'clever'... but 'soul-less'... despite the 'passions' of 'creators'. :(
Were you ever a grocer?
I used to visit cousins in Newcastle in the 50's and 60's, West Allotments.
There was literally a few rows of back to back houses with outside toilets, Co-Op to one side, primary school (Holystone) to the other, farms and farmland all around.
The back to back houses are still there, hope the outside toilets have gone and the farmland is all housing estates now.
There was a huge pond where we used to hunt tadpoles and frogs, its still there.
Jim
Quote from: FierceKitty on 06 March 2021, 09:57:40 AM
Were you ever a grocer?
Erm, no... though sometimes rather gross! Not sure where that comes from, FK? :)
Quote from: jimduncanuk on 06 March 2021, 12:21:20 PM
I used to visit cousins in Newcastle in the 50's and 60's, West Allotments.
There was literally a few rows of back to back houses with outside toilets, Co-Op to one side, primary school (Holystone) to the other, farms and farmland all around.
The back to back houses are still there, hope the outside toilets have gone and the farmland is all housing estates now.
There was a huge pond where we used to hunt tadpoles and frogs, its still there.
Jim
The famly farm where I was a small child, was about a mile or so from there. Chirton Grange farm was 'Compulsory Purchased' for housing development in '66. In other words, we were kicked off our land! My Granda 'signed the papers' in a morning...and died in the afternoon. I don't like 'planners' and 'development' ! :(
Had 1st Covid jab today, (Sunday 14th), at 'Centre For Life', N'cle. (Being a 'carer', I got a letter inviting me to make a booking, a while back). I thought that there would be huge queues and parking problems... but, no. No queue... well, one person! In and out in less than 20 mins, (including the 15 min wait afterwards. Plenty of parking in the 'pay' car park nearby... but other days may be different! Jab was the Oxford AstraZeneca. 'Possible' side-effects... will have to wait and see... (But I cannot fathom those countries suspending their programmes over a MINISCULE number of 'clotting' issues which may easily be unrelated! IF the issue worries you, then maybe try to find out what jabs may be on offer at various sites?).
Had thought about getting a Bus in... but no regular timetables, so drove. 1st use of new SatNav! It works! :) Well, sort of... once target in sight, I ignored and used 'The Force'! lol ;) . 'Centre For Life' is in what used to be the old 'Cattle Market'. NO cows in MY day, just Busses... rather peculiar, revisiting just a small area...but COMPLETELY different to memory! 'Some' of the surrounding area relatively unchanged, although, 'a certain 'retail outlet' ;) 'may' have gone... times change and so do people, (TOO OLD for 'that stuff' now! ;) so wasn't looking... HONEST! ;) LOL! (Some WILL know! :d ;) ).
Was pleased to see that a 'relic' building had been left... like the 'frontage for 'The Oxford'...'Tiff's,' in my day... which has also been kept as a memory to 'times past'... :( :)
This seems to be a private thread
Quote from: Heedless Horseman on 15 March 2021, 05:07:10 AM
Had 1st Covid jab today, (Sunday 14th), at 'Centre For Life', N'cle. (Being a 'carer', I got a letter inviting me to make a booking, a while back). I thought that there would be huge queues and parking problems... but, no. No queue... well, one person! In and out in less than 20 mins, (including the 15 min wait afterwards. Plenty of parking in the 'pay' car park nearby... but other days may be different! Jab was the Oxford AstraZeneca. 'Possible' side-effects... will have to wait and see... (But I cannot fathom those countries suspending their programmes over a MINISCULE number of 'clotting' issues which may easily be unrelated! IF the issue worries you, then maybe try to find out what jabs may be on offer at various sites?).
Just an update. Jab Sunday. Absolutely NO side effects by Wednesday. VERY slight 'sensation' at jab site but not 'sore' . :) Don't want to 'get up and DO things'... but that's just Me! ;) ;D
A BBC article may be of interest. I was wondering if strength of 'reaction' meant increased effectiveness... but maybe not.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-56375307
Think I will 'crosspost' this to: 'How are we getting through this?' thread... apologies in advance!
Good news and at least we will get more ciomments on the other thread. Side effects being disussed on Inside Medicene now R4