Gas Holder suggestions
A couple of days ago, I went to look at the new developments around Kings Cross. I noticed that they have a couple of gas holders that have been decommissioned. They are lucky enough to be listed (I still can't see why we can't do the same for ours - it's never too late - Sir John Betjeman saved St Pancras with just 10 days to go...) so the developers have been forced to be creative.
They have actually disassembled them at their current, inconvenient location, put them back together in another part of the development, and used them as a springboard for funky ideas. One has circular apartments with a public roof garden, the other has shops and more open spaces in it (if memory serves.)
If we are going to have to lose our gas holders in their original function ,wouldn't it be better to do something with them and keep them as part of our heritage than just do away with all the industrial history we have left?
Ideas here, folks. And, no, AndreKabu, you can't have a fifteen-storey stationery shop.
No. Strike that. Of course you can have one - just as long as there's a splendid bakery and sausagemongers at the bottom and a fabulous observation platform and cake dispensary at the top...
They have actually disassembled them at their current, inconvenient location, put them back together in another part of the development, and used them as a springboard for funky ideas. One has circular apartments with a public roof garden, the other has shops and more open spaces in it (if memory serves.)
If we are going to have to lose our gas holders in their original function ,wouldn't it be better to do something with them and keep them as part of our heritage than just do away with all the industrial history we have left?
Ideas here, folks. And, no, AndreKabu, you can't have a fifteen-storey stationery shop.
No. Strike that. Of course you can have one - just as long as there's a splendid bakery and sausagemongers at the bottom and a fabulous observation platform and cake dispensary at the top...
Labels: Debates
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
15:35
8 Comments:
I seem to remember hearing somewhere that there are other gas holders around the world where all sorts of things have been done - a museum in Milan, an entertainment complex at Oberhausen in the Rhur- and also in Vienna. Perhaps someone has seen these, or knows something about them.
I think the entertainment complex idea has probably already been bagsied - but yes - a funky museum would be fun. Maybe something round and glass would be good. Maybe a penguinatorium? I think Greenwich needs penguins.
How about a giant goldfish bowl?
Ooh! Can you imagine all the light and high ceilings? It'd be so much better than the world's best Paperchase... Hey, if you're going to dream, you might as well dream big.
A very very big book shop to rival Hay-on-Wye. And to make up for all the book shops that have closed in Greenwich in the past few years.
There'd even be a floor for a stationers.
Be careful what you wish for - Greenwich Hospital will probably end up erecting it in the market.
isn't the Tate at St Ives modelled around the frame of the old gas holder?...that looks fab, but then it is standing in front of a glorious beach....
I was pleased to see the publication of ideas for the 'triplets' gas holders in the ES on 31st October in Homes&property. I liked the idea of the architectural heritage being preserved and converted to much needed housing. I can see the present holer which is about 14 storeys high would be ideal for dwellings with perhaps a space on the ground floor for a museum to the history of the area. That would be an ideal learning venue for the primary and secondary schhol children and an interesting venue for focusing community envolvement and interaction. Oh and while my imagination is running wild I would like a roof garden open to the public to enjoy views over the Thames and beyond to Greenwich !
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