Liverpool's Worst Buildings

Use this thread to name the buildings that you think are among Liverpool's worst, both present and future, and explain why. (pics would be great)

I'm going to start with the student accomodation in the grounds of the Anglican Cathedral. Not only do they look cheap and tatty, but they've been built on what should be a public open space for people to relax and admire the cathedral. Some people may think differently, but they are a real pet hate of mine and I would have them demolished tomorrow if I could.

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Originally Posted by AK1

I'm going to start with the student accomodation in the grounds of the Anglican Cathedral.

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The accommodation itself is pretty shoddy too, I think they may have been refurbished just recently, but I remember a couple of years ago that they were vile.

The one which gets me is the tower block (offices I presume) right at the front of lime street, I'm guessing it will be demolished soon enough, but every-time I come back to Lime Street Station, I hate seeing it still standing.

The other one I really dislike is the terrible 60'/70s JMU social Science building on Clarence Street, which I'm equally hopeful will have been flawed by the time I'm back in town.

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Originally Posted by StuartF

The accommodation itself is pretty shoddy too, I think they may have been refurbished just recently, but I remember a couple of years ago that they were vile.

The one which gets me is the tower block (offices I presume) right at the front of lime street, I'm guessing it will be demolished soon enough, but every-time I come back to Lime Street Station, I hate seeing it still standing.

The other one I really dislike is the terrible 60'/70s JMU social Science building on Clarence Street, which I'm equally hopeful will have been flawed by the time I'm back in town.

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Agreed! Thankfully, Concourse tower is due to be demolished toward the end of this year. Not sure about the JMU building though.

Welcome to the group Stuart
What an eysore..couldn't agree more Stuart..


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...S/DSC02821.jpg

And it gets no better close up.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...S/L1070535.jpg

The royal mail building in the background of the first pic is another building I can't stand.

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Originally Posted by AK1

The royal mail building in the background of the first pic is another building I can't stand.

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Yes Coppras Hill sorting office

I can't stand the new building which has replaced a pub on Williamson Square. If my memory serves me well it was called The Shakespeare. I am not sure what use the building was designed for but it was still being offered to let when I last passed. I thought this location was a Conservation Area but the building is totally out of keeping. Does anyone have any before and after shots? I remember the pub well from waiting at the bus stop outside for the tunnel bus before Queens Sq was developed.

Munchkim

It's just the smell from it more than anything.





Ok, I know, only jesting folks.....

I don't like the new place on the corner of Brownlow Hill and Mount Pleasant, opposite the Guild of Students and the Victoria Building. Not sure of its name, not an awful place, but they knocked down some lovely old buildings to put it there, and I think it's too big for its location next to the cathedral :disgust:

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Originally Posted by iain

I don't like the new place on the corner of Brownlow Hill and Mount Pleasant, opposite the Guild of Students and the Victoria Building. Not sure of its name, not an awful place, but they knocked down some lovely old buildings to put it there, and I think it's too big for its location next to the cathedral :disgust:

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What they knocked down were the last remaining buildings of the Workhouse! :shock:
Something that should have been kept and put on the tourist route.
Let's hope the previous owners (the Metropolitan Cathedral) got a good price for the site.

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Originally Posted by PhilipG

What they knocked down were the last remaining buildings of the Workhouse! :shock:
Something that should have been kept and put on the tourist route.
Let's hope the previous owners (the Metropolitan Cathedral) got a good price for the site.

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Mind you saying that, they demolished lots of Williamson Tunnels when they were found before they put the foundations in for the RC Cathedral - that was also a crime.

Unfortunately I never got inside the old workhouse buildings, but somewhere is an undeveloped roll of 35mm with some external shots on it.

When they demolished it, a small brick arch tunnel was exposed. Contrary to a few rumours I overheard, this was nothing more than the remains of part of the cellars. I investigated it one night, but at the time wasn't taking a camera on my explores.

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Originally Posted by iain

I don't like the new place on the corner of Brownlow Hill and Mount Pleasant, opposite the Guild of Students and the Victoria Building. Not sure of its name, not an awful place, but they knocked down some lovely old buildings to put it there, and I think it's too big for its location next to the cathedral :disgust:

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It's called The Foundation Building, the Uni bought it outright from the developers as soon as it was finished.It does obscure the view of the Victoria clock-tower in one direction and the Cathedral in the other.

Concourse House is definitely one of the worst buildings in Liverpool; although it is likely that it will soon be gone.

The old Winey at Moorfields is an eyesore and personally, I think that the 'art work' that is going on there is a joke.

One of my favourites is the ABC / Forum opposite Concourse House. I really hope that it is put to good use once again. There is currently work going on at the site, but I don't know what is happening.

Hope not to appear negative about Liverpool's buildings because we have some of the best architecture in Britain, but Queen Square is a terrible missed opportunity. The buildings looking on to Williamson square are so ugly.

Granted they are better than what was there before, but Queen Square looks like lego land.

And while we're at it, get rid of St John's precinct too :034:

Obviously in a minority of one here but I don't mind Concourse house and think it should have been refurbed whilst allowing Chieften to build their tower behind rather than knocking it back. The problem is the concourse itself where the shops obscure the front of the station.

One building I really hate despite it being a great asset to the city centre is the new(late 90's) Pleasant street school on Clarence street which looks like a suburban bungalow that has been badly extended and built on. This was a truly wasted opportunity to build a state of the art contemporary school in the city. And in the same area, the houses that replaced the tenements in the area with B&Q style post modern styling. To think these are part of the extended street that encompases Rodney street is mind blowing.

Got to agree with the comments about the student and housing trust houses in front of the cathedral and Queens Square. Amazing to believe that the brick building that faces onto Williamson sq is by Ken Martin who also designed the excellent 60's extension to the Playhouse and the Conservation centre.:shock:

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Originally Posted by christy

Obviously in a minority of one here but I don't mind Concourse house and think it should have been refurbed whilst allowing Chieften to build their tower behind rather than knocking it back. The problem is the concourse itself where the shops obscure the front of the station.

One building I really hate despite it being a great asset to the city centre is the new(late 90's) Pleasant street school on Clarence street which looks like a suburban bungalow that has been badly extended and built on. This was a truly wasted opportunity to build a state of the art contemporary school in the city. And in the same area, the houses that replaced the tenements in the area with B&Q style post modern styling. To think these are part of the extended street that encompases Rodney street is mind blowing.

Got to agree with the comments about the student and housing trust houses in front of the cathedral and Queens Square. Amazing to believe that the brick building that faces onto Williamson sq is by Ken Martin who also designed the excellent 60's extension to the Playhouse and the Conservation centre.:shock:

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Not quite a minority of one !! I too agree about the Concourse House. It could be refurbished but I suspect there's more profit in building new. The concourse & shops is typical 60s naff and should go. It reminds me of that other naff & grotty concourse under the Centre Point building near Tottenham Court Rd in London. I too think the JJB sports and other shops building on Williamson Sq is appalling and typically derivative. It looks ripe already for remodelling to get rid of the awful overhanging roof etc

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Originally Posted by PhilipG

What they knocked down were the last remaining buildings of the Workhouse! :shock:
Something that should have been kept and put on the tourist route.
Let's hope the previous owners (the Metropolitan Cathedral) got a good price for the site.

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The former Archdiocese offices I think these were. Very awkward to photo with a cheap camera too-I had to take them through the windows of the Uni Engineering building!

Dave.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/221/5...a1057989_o.jpg

Looks like a model toy town.:PDT_Aliboronz_24:

I'd be like Godzilla In that postcard.:PDT_Piratz_26:

Great pic Phil. :handclap:

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Originally Posted by skgogosfan

The former Archdiocese offices I think these were. Very awkward to photo with a cheap camera too-I had to take them through the windows of the Uni Engineering building!

Dave.

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The building was last used as the headquarters of the Nugent Care Society. I think they moved to Edge Lane about a year before the building was demolished.

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Originally Posted by iain

I don't like the new place on the corner of Brownlow Hill and Mount Pleasant, opposite the Guild of Students and the Victoria Building. Not sure of its name, not an awful place, but they knocked down some lovely old buildings to put it there, and I think it's too big for its location next to the cathedral :disgust:

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I don't think I was in town before the old buildings were demolished, but I quite like the new building - the shops on the Brownlow Hill side of it are much needed in that particular part of town. I'd like to see back-end of the Cathedral get some treatment though, at the minute the staircases look a mess, hardly inviting like the steps on mount pleasant are.

To the person whom mentioned the school on Clarence St - Amen, shockingly bad bit of architecture! It would certainly put me off buying one of the new apartments down that side street.


One last mention, the Multi-Storey CP on Mount Pleasant - one big mass of ugly concrete, though pretty much that whole bottom end of MP is a write-off!

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Originally Posted by taffy

Not quite a minority of one !! I too agree about the Concourse House. It could be refurbished but I suspect there's more profit in building new. The concourse & shops is typical 60s naff and should go. It reminds me of that other naff & grotty concourse under the Centre Point building near Tottenham Court Rd in London. I too think the JJB sports and other shops building on Williamson Sq is appalling and typically derivative. It looks ripe already for remodelling to get rid of the awful overhanging roof etc

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Concourse house and Centre point are both by the same architect/developer I believe.......
Someone mentioned the Mount Pleasant car park - dont mind, in fact quite like the Brownlow hill side of the car park but the Mount pleasant elevation and the way it juts out at points into Mount pleasant leaving large empty triangle shaped spaces is horrible. Surely a developer with a bit of imagination could do something with these nasty areas no matter what shape they are.

Sad to see the remaining houses (Bedford street I think) that the university demolished to make way for a flat car park in that aerial shot post card

The Deaf Centre on queens drive next to West Derby Comp. A hideous 1960's lump of concrete. There where rumours about a year ago that the Beefeater Restaurant next door had bought it, but nothing has happened since.

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Originally Posted by AK1

The Deaf Centre on queens drive next to West Derby Comp. A hideous 1960's lump of concrete. There where rumours about a year ago that the Beefeater Restaurant next door had bought it, but nothing has happened since.

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I agree with that,I take my son there and its no better inside:PDT_Xtremez_12:

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Originally Posted by AK1

The Deaf Centre on queens drive next to West Derby Comp. A hideous 1960's lump of concrete. There where rumours about a year ago that the Beefeater Restaurant next door had bought it, but nothing has happened since.

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Yes, awful, and they came from that wonderful red-brick hexagonal building in Princes Avenue.

Further up Queens Drive is a library (Larkhill?) which looks disgusting.
I only ever pass it, so don't know if it's supposed to be open or not.

John Moores Uni on Byrom street. (A great uni in every way) but a terrible building. also the Royal Hospital!

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Originally Posted by Suburban

John Moores Uni on Byrom street. (A great uni in every way) but a terrible building. also the Royal Hospital!

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I take it you mean the Royal Liverpool and not the old Royal infirmary
Yes it is a horrible place and inside is just as bad.... Getting replaced
in a few years.....

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Originally Posted by PhilipG

Yes, awful, and they came from that wonderful red-brick hexagonal building in Princes Avenue.

Further up Queens Drive is a library (Larkhill?) which looks disgusting.
I only ever pass it, so don't know if it's supposed to be open or not.

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Yes Larkhill library is open. Never been in it though

The Penny farthing ale house next to the Royal Court is ugly. Don't know what its like inside though as I have never been in (No insult to customers!)

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Originally Posted by Suburban

The Penny farthing ale house next to the Royal Court is ugly. Don't know what its like inside though as I have never been in (No insult to customers!)

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It's the sort of place, where you wipe your feet on the way out.

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Originally Posted by drone_pilot

It's the sort of place, where you wipe your feet on the way out.

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Ouch!! :eek:

I've never heard that before, but I love it! :handclap: