Portsmouth scheduled for demolition

[Chris]

Almost forgot this thing... the Vauxhall Cross ski-jump! Y U K

Yes, I always wondered what that was. On our way into London with friends I occasionally joked that it must have been some sort of rocket launcher to get into MI6 - from the station side it looks very close to the MI6 building - I am surprised that they even allowed it to be built.

Apparently it's the new bus station. :roll:

Absolutely hideous!

Plus the flats there are really quite expensive... I get a beautiful view of the place from my house And to knock down the Nine Elms Cold Store in place of it? Have to be joking!

I take it you also get a good view of the MI6 building which is near those flats?



I have to say this building really does stick out in the concrete jungle of South London and I am surprised that the secret service chose such a design for something so secretive. Subtle it is not!

Do you ever see people come out of it?

[cdd]

Yes, but that's hideous without even mentioning! It's getting dateder and dateder by the minute... and you can't really see it in picture but there are hundreds of security cams surrounding the building and ominous-looking gates. The red funnel (centre) is also intriguing - it's partially covered by that pic. And looking inside it, you never see anyone walking between the hallways.

It's quite well lit at night, though, as a brief google image search will reveal.

[Pete]

dateder

what's that then?

I think it's a stunning building. Not hideous at all. Surely you'd approve of it denman, MI6 isn't a privately run business using charity to reduce it's tax burden.

[cdd]

dateder

what's that then?

I think it's a stunning building. Not hideous at all. Surely you'd approve of it denman, MI6 isn't a privately run business using charity to reduce it's tax burden.

That's a running joke that's getting boringer and boringer every time I dredge it back up again.

And it's absolutely hideous, look at it. I mean LOOK at it. Look closely now, what appealing features does it have? Those horrid circular balconies? That revolting concrete-esque exterior? The faded, grimy glass? The whole thing is just domineering... heck, dare I say it, I prefer those grotty flats to that... that... that THING, just sitting there. It's clearly been designed to look "Don't Touch"-y. Love to tour inside it one day.

I assume you already know a mockup of it was used in a James Bond film

[cdd]

Apparently it's the new bus station.

That's right. Ken Livingstone's big idea -- wonder how much it cost. You know, I don't like him... but you'd probably gathered that already.

"Scrap the routemaster" -- unbelievable, I remember seeing Dear Kenny standing, one hand holding onto the centre rail at the RM exit, while it was driving off, donning his plastic smile. Grrr, just thinking of it makes me angry. And please, if you HAVE to expand the congestion charge, could you at least include Vauxhall!

[Gavin Scott]

The faded, grimy glass?

Glass can fade now?

I certainly don't think it's an ugly building.

[Bail]

Portsmouth does have this now...



"It's interesting to note that the Tricorn Carpark and Shopping Centre - voted Britain's ugliest building in a BBC poll - was a fine example of how drab, dark, dank, featureless and hard to maintain cast concrete can be.

Portsmouth's new Spinnaker Tower, however, is, er, cast concrete . . ." - http://www.hago.org.uk/2000/popup/forget-2.html

[Chris]

Yes, but that's hideous without even mentioning! It's getting dateder and dateder by the minute... and you can't really see it in picture but there are hundreds of security cams surrounding the building and ominous-looking gates. The red funnel (centre) is also intriguing - it's partially covered by that pic. And looking inside it, you never see anyone walking between the hallways.

It's quite well lit at night, though, as a brief google image search will reveal.

Yes, the place is absolutely teeming with security cameras. Let me present my Sky-News-esque diagram here, highlighting some of them.

There's no less than 13 sets of CCTV cameras on the building itself from this photograph.



Well, if you look from the road/station side you will see there's also yet more CCTV cameras, and yes, plenty of ominous looking gates and occasionally some anonymous vans parked within. Not really visible on the pic, but highlighted are the bits of the 2 'towers' at the top which are loaded with satellite dishes and other electronic gadgetry, one would assume.

Does anyone have any indication as to what the red funnel is for? It looks a bit out of character on the building.

I've also noticed a blue object covered in tarpaulin as well, just above the CCTV scrawl. I assume it must be some broken CCTV camera.

I would love to get the chance to go and tour the place. It would certainly be very interesting to see what gets up there.