Great Western Coffee Shop

today(wednesday 30 January 2019

Official knocking down starts at 1pm with the Mayor in attendance.

Film footage on BBC points west at 13:30pm possible?

Just a reminder that local news is only available for 24 hours on the i-player thingy

Is this the dilapidated building on the far side of the station from main entrance? As in closest to Platforms 13& 14 where the London services start and terminate?

If so, will be glad to be rid of that particular eyesore

It is. Although there's no platform 14 at Bristol TM. The farthest island from the main entrance is 13 & 15.

It I'm at Temple Meads over the next couple of days I will try to take a photo for the forum of it's increasing, errm, absence.

According to local superstition, the number '14' is unlucky...

Work was apparently interrupted when 'Gilets Jaunes' protesters climbed onto the bulldozers. It was unclear what they were demanding, but according to one onlooker they were insisting that an Arena should be built here...

(https://i2-prod.bristolpost.co.uk/incoming/article2487998.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_09AB8438000003E8.jpg)
Image: Bristol Post (https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/sorting-office-temple-meads-demolition-2487033)

If 13 joined up at the south end and didn't end in a buffer ... perhaps the south ends of that island would be known as 14 and 16. But that really won't be useful, because the London trains that use those platforms will never be 5 carriages and able to fit in half a platform, will they?

Righty Ho. So the protesters are arguing that to build an arenal there, the current edifice should remain?  Sounds like a good way to make it even more expensive rather than further the cause by highlighting it's economical benefits to Bristol.

Err... there were no protestors. Red Squirrel was being satirical.

Looking at the painfully SLOW progress on Points West last night, I reckon it will take another 10 years to demolish it at that rate. Why not insert a few strategically sticks of gelignite and BOOM ...all gone in 10 seconds. They managed to do it with the white concrete Canons marsh bonded warehouses some 30 years ago ! I'm sure someone will find that footage on youtube somewhere !

Moi?

I must apologise; I'm not very good with emojis. Unfortunately the rather blurred picture obscures the detail that the gilet jaune in question is being worn by a certain Mr Marvin Rees...

For one reason it is rather close to a busy operational railway! Perhaps NR wouldn't mind if the pile of concrete ended up on platforms 13 & 15 and they had to rebuild! and perhaps a few stray lumps of concrete damaging a Grade 2 listed building is sufficient price to pay for a spectacular demolition show. The building in Canons Marsh was IIRC surrounded by space.

Of course they did not get far yesterday - they only just started and they had the VIPs in the way for part of the day.  They are using tried and tested techniques that allowed the demolition of a tower block right next to Birmingham New Street Station in a few months without disrupting and operational railway.

If space were available and that approach was adopted it would take weeks of careful planning before it was demolished so the time may be little different.

Like Sciarus vulgaris, my remarks were tinged with sarcasm.  ::)

I worked in this building for many years about 35 years ago (and even did some night shift work on BTM's platforms hauling mail about for the rail post). It didn't look that much better even then!

Oops, I clearly must have enabled "silly old fool" mode there. 😣