Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
23 January 2011
19:3190011alex,i have had a drink in the brit over a number of years,it was when firstly going in the brit it looked posh over the last five years or so it has gone down hill faster than a bobsliegh down the cresta run.walking from the townwall entrance to the bar your shoes stuck to the carpet.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,883
23 January 2011
20:1790023Apart from the fact the Britannia has been there for a few years what is so special about it.
It is not of historical interest or of any special architectural style it is just another rather ugly building.
Alex has yet to say what is so important about this tatty old building to make it worth while keeping.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 708- Registered: 22 Dec 2010
- Posts: 102
23 January 2011
21:2390032If and when we get this new development. Let's hope we have all the retail units filled. I gree the sooner these eyesore's go the better.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
23 January 2011
23:0290038Paul Baker, I doubt that the proposed retail policies in Dover that have been widely advocated on the theory table would be realistic, as people in Dover, as elsewhere in Britain, have enough shops as it is to choose from.
My view of relaity is that in Dover, shops are closing for lack of customers, and many are just about there with a few pounds intake an hour. The great plans to open more shops everywhere are no more than fantastic (fantasy), unrealistic plans.
In a similar way as to expect visitors at the Castle to descend by cable car onto Burlington House and Townwall Street are unrealistic. For such eyesaws, I wouldn't reccommend it either!
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
23 January 2011
23:1390039Jan, the Britannia is an intact building, it is not in need of pulling down. It is also outside of DTIZ. It can be modernised, for example as a dining house.
May-be you know that DTIZ, with Burlington's house and the Fifth Avenue car-park next to it, are a joke, one that one day will need pulling down, even just to have a green park with trees and benches!
Also, the stretch of building leading to Icelands has got obnoxious concrete blocks sticking out over the street, and when going to Iceland, I make sure I steer well clear of them, as they give the impression that they could drop onto the street at a moment's notice. Now that is an eyesaw!
By comparison, Victoria Crecent, just next-door, is a lovely row of buildings. There are eyesaws in Dover, including that ugly modern concrete building up Castle Street, after the fish and chip shop, on the corner of Woolcomber's Street.
Then there is another concrete collussus in Bench Street, something else that's modern, which is empty and has empty show-room windows. I shake my head when I see these modern concrete buildings, they are UGLY, and not the sort of building to attract visitors to Dover!
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
23 January 2011
23:4290043As above Alexander the whole bock is suffering from "concrete cancer" and is beyond saving
Re the "ugly modern concrete building up Castle Street, after the fish and chip shop, on the corner of Woolcomber's Street." - that is the subject of this thread and is being demolished !!
Been nice knowing you :)
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,883
24 January 2011
09:4190055As has been said earlier it is often easier and cheaper to demolish than to repair. The world has to change we cannot live in the past all the time.
I am not sure what you mean by "Also, the stretch of building leading to Icelands has got obnoxious concrete blocks sticking out over the street" all I see every time I pass is a row of shops. I work almost opposite in the Age Concern shop which is a lovely old building but hell to heat and awkward to work in. We wanted to move into the old Sainsbury building but it was much too expensive.
Victoria Crescent is lovely, what about the nice old buildings further up the road just before the lights, similar era but not exactly beneficial to the town.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
24 January 2011
09:4890057I am on the side of demolishing the Britannia, it has no real merit at all. But, what has happened to that model of a ship it had in its window? Now that had real merit....
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
24 January 2011
16:2690098cor blimey i agree with barryw about that loverly ship,a real cracker it was.
memo to one self,make apointmet to see the quack.
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
24 January 2011
20:4390131Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
25 January 2011
09:5490168I had the following email from one of our old favourites of long ago Mark Robson. Sadly Mark's membership has lapsed but good to hear from him on this topic.....
Hi Paul
I hope you are well. I have very little spare time to contribute to the Forum at present but like to look in when I can. I was reading the MFI thread which moved onto the issue about The Britannia and thought this website would be of interest:
http://www.dover-kent.com/Britannia-Townwall-Street.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">
http://www.dover-kent.com/Britannia-Townwall-Street.html
It gives a fascinating insight into the design as well as featuring the ship which Barry W referred to. I remember being taken for a meal to The Britannia in the early 1970s. This was considered a real treat and I had spaghetti bolognaise which was about as exotic as food got in those days!
With best wishes.
Mark
Many thanks for that Mark
also
Interesting photo from Scotchie above..the building down the lane on the extreme right is the one that partially collapsed the other week. Often nip back to Boland Towers that way.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
25 January 2011
11:5490189very interesting link there, difficult to imagine what the area looked like before the dual carriageway was built.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
25 January 2011
12:1590190Well I can tell you at was great there were Shops and houses each side, the road was two way ,there was a very old book shop along there where the Gateway flats are, you had to go up about 12steps to go in ,and they had 100s of old books in there,
as a boy I would go in there just to look at them.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
25 January 2011
19:0390228Pretty full history of the Britannia there.
Sarah Webb took over the Sir John Falstaff in Ladywell before the Britannia, but didn't do any of the things she said she would do with it.
Both pubs were rough and run into the ground under her stewardship, but they needn't have been.
Roger
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
25 January 2011
19:1190230i seem to remember that the "falstaff" was turned into a world war two theme pub.
am i thinking of the right pub?
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
25 January 2011
19:2890236It was to be Howard - and used as the Headquarters for the Dover War Memorial Project, but nothing came from it.
I did the launch for it, the pub was over-flowing that night, I think there were well over 100 people there; a great night, but the only great night in there.
I can't remember what it was going to be called, but it never did change it's name.
Roger
Guest 703- Registered: 30 Jul 2010
- Posts: 2,096
25 January 2011
19:4390238The Falstaff was an interesting place in the late 60s, public and saloon bars downstairs and the upstairs room where the Friday night Foc'sle Folk Club was thriving and very 'relaxed', shall we say.
Guest 672- Registered: 3 Jun 2008
- Posts: 2,119
25 January 2011
21:0890251If you remember Roger I was also there.
The thing that realy annoys me is the fact I gave the owner a lot of documents relating to one of my relative who had the honour of being a Dambuster with the promise they would be framed and hung.
I left them in a large brown envelope with my name and phone number on it with the instructions if not used to be returned.
I have never seen them again.
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
25 January 2011
21:1190253ian,like most of the stuff that was loaned at the time.sadly she has dissapeared of the radar at the moment.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
25 January 2011
21:2190263that is all a bit off!!
ian, you must be distraught at losing such important stuff.
the raids by the dambusters were an iconic part of world ward 2.
Been nice knowing you :)