Factories, power stations, schools, cinemas, churches, theatres and tunnels all have their own stories to tell - of how people lived and worked, of how life has changed through the ages, of how we seem so willing to abandon our heritage and replace it with concrete and steel that will be replaced in 20 years and will never carry fond memories. One of Doncaster’s tallest buildings stands empty, its windows swinging in the breeze, its occupants long since deserted for newer, shinier, cleaner desks. The Council House, or Coal House to those of us of a certain vintage - an unloved landmark for the centre of Doncaster, designed by the infamous architect John Poulson - jailed in 1974 for corruption along with leader of Newcastle Council T Dan Smith in a scandal that also forced the resignation of Home Secretary Reginald Maudling - originally the South Yorkshire HQ of the National Coal Board, then home to Doncaster Council and now awaiting the demolition men and their wrecking balls. But the old girl had got one final date to keep before she makes way for who knows what ’improvement scheme‘ that Council has got planned.
visits were made, but still access to the building proved elusive. More waiting, more walk pasts before the opening I’d been waiting for presented itself and with a hop, skip and jump, we were in. A brief pause to let the heart rate slow and to make sure that we hadn’t disturbed the security guard’s viewing of Eastenders and then it was up the stairs. A quick look at a few of the offices didn’t reveal anything of interest so we pushed on up the stairs, heading for the roof. There is something undoubtedly exhilarating about standing on the edge of a tall building with no windows or barriers, taking in the kind of view that relatively few experience. Doncaster is laid out below me, with new landmarks like the neighbouring Cast Theatre and the new council offices very apparent. From up here it is clear just how low rise the town really is, with only a few tower blocks and St George’s Minster breaking the skyline. For more words and pictures of unseen parts of Doncaster and beyond, follow @DrMuttley or take a look at: exploringtheunderbelly.wordpress.com
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As soon as they moved their desks and filing cabinets out and turned off the lights for the last time, I was itching to take a closer look. But they had locked all the doors and closed the windows, so a waiting game began. I lost count of how many times I walked past, looking to see if anything had changed that might provide the opening required. Finally, there seemed to be more activity - fences went up, skips arrived, a digger was parked. And then a picture appeared on Facebook of the digger taking its first bites at the rear of the building. Time to get to work. A couple of late night Photography ©DrMuttley, 2014
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