Work to replace the second crossing began in 1980.[The third bridge is very different from its two predecessors. It is a pre-stressed concrete structure with a central span of 160 m, 26 m above the river, and two side spans of 100 m each – including the approaches, it is a total of 897 m long and 15.8 m wide. It can carry abnormal loads of up to 400 tonnes, and has a life expectancy of 120 years.
It was constructed by Edmund Nuttall Ltd to a design by Mott, Hay and Anderson’s young engineer, Alan Yiu Lun Wan.
The two supporting concrete piers were fluted to create an impression of lightness and were designed to withstand the impact from a vessel of ten thousand tonnes travelling at a speed of five knots, although this is highly unlikely as large ships rarely come this far up the Tyne and the shipping lane has now effectively been blocked by the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. Due to the exposed location, strong winds can cause problems for high-sided vehicles. Early in the bridge’s life, a double-decker bus was nearly blown over the side.
The total cost of construction amounted to £15,350,000.
While originally considered a category killer, the rise of mass merchants and online retailers cost Toys “R” Us its share of the toy market. The company was further hampered by a significant debt load, the result of a leveraged buyout organized by private equity firms.
The toy retailer filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and in March 2018 announced it would be closing all its UK stores.
There were more than 100 Toys ‘R’ Us stores in the UK at the time.
A nipper, named only as Andrew penned a heartfelt 3-point letter to the judge handling the company’s bankruptcy case, and pleaded with him not to allow his fave shop to close down.
Andrew’s hand-written note to Judge Keith Phillips – which was put in the official court file – laid out exactly why he didn’t want the shops to shut.
In April 1948, Charles P Lazarus founded a baby-furniture retailer, Children’s Bargain Town in Washington DC, during the postwar baby boom. It was acquired in 1966 by Interstate Department Stores Inc.
The focus of the store changed in June 1957, and the first Toys “R” Us, dedicated exclusively to toys rather than furniture, was opened by Lazarus in Rockville Maryland. Lazarus also designed and stylized the Toys “R” Us logo, which featured a backwards “R” to give the impression that a child wrote it.
Having grown up in the days of the diminutive local toy shop – noses pressed against the widow admiring those treasures never ever owned, I find the present day retailers to be soulless industrial hangars – designed to extract every ounce of fun and currency from the hapless child and guardians.
Eric Ravilious – inside the model shop.
I returned in 2024.
A large To Let sign is now visible above the store, with any interested parties invited to inquire about the large unit. The 47,500sq foot unit is available to lease – in whole or in part, and is described as being immediately available.
The news comes despite previous announcements that WHP Global, the owner of Toys R Us, had plans to re-open some UK stores during 2022. In February, the company said UK Toys R Us stores could open within months, although none have yet done so.
Here is Autistic Psycho’s tour around the deserted store,
Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Milton Keynes and surrounding parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line about 50 miles northwest of London. The station is served by Avanti West Coast intercity services, and by West Midlands Trains regional services.
A new station to delimit the western end of the new central business district of Milton Keynes was a key objective for Milton Keynes Development Corporation. In the cash-strapped circumstances of the 1960s and 1970s, British Rail was unenthusiastic but eventually came round after a deal was done in 1978 on cost sharing. In 1979, MKDC architect Stuart Mosscrop designed the station building and office blocks to either side, framing a new Station Square and the vista uphill along Midsummer Boulevard – and the midsummer sunrise.
The station opened on 14 May 1982, with an official opening by Charles, then Prince of Wales, conducted three days later.
Mother of two Jo Francis leans in for a kiss.
Older people are remembering when he previously came to Milton Keynes:
Crowds stood around the forecourt of the Tickford Street factory to watch, cheer and wave flags. Then suddenly, a five year old boy called Matthew Turvey reached into his mum’s shopping basket, took out a tin of baked beans and held them out to the young Prince.
Proposed designs for architecture and town planning of Milton Keynes: boulevard and railway station – 1970 Derek Walker Associates
1981 – Built using a high performance reflective solar control glass called Vari-Tran, creating a complete curtain wall to cover the whole construction.
Famous in the history of British cinema as being the first purpose built multiplex cinema to be built in the UK. The 10-screen AMC-The Point opened on 23rd November 1985 with a Royal Premiere of the Harrison Ford film Presumed Innocent which was attended by Sarah, Duchess of York.
Built for and operated by American Multi-Cinemas, it has a foyer section, designed in the shape of a pyramid, hence the name The Point. The supporting struts were originally edged in red neon. The structure containing the auditoriums is just a plain block. Also in the complex is a Gala Bingo Club located under the cinema foyer entrance, a nightclub and cafes and restaurants.
In December 1988, it was taken over by UCI and re-named. In April 2003 it was leased to easyCinema, operated by the budget airline easyJet, when a policy of taking bookings only online and charging a minimum admission, created interest, but turned out to be a failure. In May 2006 it was taken over by Odeon Cinemas Group. Seating capacities in the screens range from 248, down to 156.
The Odeon was closed on 26th February 2015 with Kingsman, The Last Service being the final film in one its auditoriums. There had been hope that the cinema would be given a Grade II Listed status due to its historical relevance as the UK’s first multiplex cinema, but it was turned down by English Heritage. It will be demolished and replaced by new shops and leisure facilities. The Gala Bingo Club – re-named Buzz Bingo Club from June 2018, was closed on March 21, 2020 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. It was announced on 15th July 2020 that the closure would be permanent.
Milton Keynes now has a new 16-screen Odeon Stadium + IMAX, located at the MK Dons Stadium, which has an IMAX screen and two screens equipped with Atmos sound. It opened on 27th February, 2015.
Designed by Building Design Partnership, the Point was reputedly inspired by the work of avant grade provocateurs Archigram and became an instant Milton Keynes landmark upon its opening in 1985. As well has being one of the UK’s first multiplex cinemas, the unconventional structure housed a games arcade, bingo hall and nightclub. These individual functions are externally expressed as stacked, mirrored boxes beneath the 70ft bright red steel pyramidal frame – illuminated at night as a space-age beacon across the low-rise city centre.
An application as been submitted by developers GHL – Galliard Holdings Ltd, the intention is to demolish the famous pyramid structure and replace it with 487 new flats in tower blocks of up to 21 storeys high.
There is a local grassroots campaign to save the Point – with its own Facebook page.
On the day of my visit April 10th 2024 – this is what it looks like.
I’ve known about The Point for as long as I can remember. It’s always been there. When I was a lot younger and we’d drive into MK at night, we’d always look out for the glowing red beacon in the shape of a pyramid on the horizon. It’s an iconic and even historic to Milton Keynes building, and it’s a shame to see that it’s just being left to become a shadow of its former self. I mean it surely wouldn’t cost much to put some led lights on it and light it up at night time again. So much money is wasted elsewhere in the city they should think about the upkeep of the actual landmarks they have.
Yesterday, Saturday 6th April I was leading a Modernist Mooch around Stoke and Hanley – I arrived five hours before the 1.00 start time and went off to explore nowhere in particular.
I found myself in the Northwood area of Hanley – ascending the long drag of Bucknall New Road, where I espied a launderette, imaginatively named The Launderette.
Early morning and short of the odd customer or two, I seized that moment in time to record this lonely public place – seeking that suspense picture with a surprise finish.
The Gallery is housed in a modern, custom-built facility that is part of the extensive Glasgow University Library complex, designed by William Whitfield.
Sir William Whitfield had roots in concrete and brick brutalism but took contextual postmodernism to a Palladian mansion that traditionalists admired. Principal of a small office for almost 50 years, his diversity of work was shot through with recurring themes and was distinguished by thoughtful synthesis of precedent.
The Mackintosh House is a modern concrete building, part of the gallery-library complex.
The Mackintosh House comprises the principal interiors of the original house – including the dining room, studio-drawing room and bedroom, largely replicating the room layout of the old end-of-terrace building. It features the meticulously reassembled interiors from the Mackintoshes’ home, including items of original furniture, fitments and decorations.
Modern Mooch 