Rambling

Love it or hate it, Gateshead’s famous “Get Carter” car park is going to be demolished.

The car park, which was built in the late 60’s / early 70’s has been controversial since the day it was completed. Actually it never really was completed, the upper floors were never opened to the public because of construction problems, and the restaurant at the top was never completed.

However, the car park found fame when it was featured several times in the 1971 film Get Carter. Arguably one of the most iconic British films ever made. One of the most memorable scenes from the film is the one where Michael Cain throws corrupt businessman Cliff Brumby from the top of the car park. Brumby was played by Bryan Mosley, and the character was planning to open a restaurant at the top of the car park. This might explain why the restaurant was never completed! Brumby went on to find fame as Alf Roberts in Coronation Street.

Since then there has always been arguments between the people of Gateshead as to whether it was an icon or an eye sore. Having lived just outside of Gateshead for 38 years, 28 of them after the car park was built, I know people who sit on both sides of the fence.

Personally I am quite fond of the building. It can be seen for miles and when you are travelling home it is usually the first thing you see that shows you are nearing home.

On the other hand, it is an ugly monstrosity of a building. Typical of many 1970’s concrete monstrosities. I have no doubt that if it had never featured in the film Get Carter then nobody would object to it being demolished.

As it is, today was the last time anyone, member of the public that is, could go inside the car park. The owners, Tesco, are demolishing it, but in honour of the film and the fact that many people like the car park they had open days this week end, so people could actually go up to the top and see inside the restaurant.

My sister rang me tonight to say she went, and had to queue up for 1.5 hours to get in. That goes to show how popular it is. Unfortunately I now live in Dorset otherwise I would have gone with her.

Apparently some people were taking chunks of concrete away with them, so look out for “Get Carter Car Park Concrete” being auctioned on ebay. I do hope we don’t see that, I would like to think those who took “souvenirs” took them because they wanted them, not to try and make money from them.

The Cumbrian town of Barrow-in-Furness is campaigning to have a class of submarine named after it. Barrow-in-Furness has a long history of building submarines, which started in 1886 when the town built it’s first submarine for the Ottoman Empire. Since then it has built the Royal Navy’s first submarine which entered service in 1902. The Royal Navy’s first nuclear powered submarine HMS Dreadnought, which was launched in 1963. As well as many other submarines, to many to mention here.

Barrow-in-Furness has a long tradition of building submarines, which continues today with the building of Astute, the Royal Navy’s latest class of nuclear attack submarines. So why not recognise that tradition and the skill of the workers over the last 120years by naming a class of submarine after the town.

If you agree, why not pop over to http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Barrow-Class-Sub/ and add your name to the petition.

Following my post about the man who left a £180,000 violin on a train, I decided to delve deeper into what people leave on trains.

One of the statistics I found was from First Great Western (FGW) for the year 2006. During this year over 12,000 items were left on their trains by passengers. The items left on the trains included coats and bags, with shopping bags being the most common. Next on the list were umbrellas and glasses.

Other common items left behind by passengers included Cycles, pushchairs, wheelchairs and crutches. Kinda makes you wonder how their owners got home, doesn’t it? Makes me wonder how some of the owners even got off the train!

According to First Great Western (FGW) the most unusual item left on one of their trains in 2006 was a light heavyweight title boxing belt. The owner contacted First Great Western (FGW) as soon as they realised it had been left on the train and the belt was recovered and returned in time to be presented to the winner of the Tony Oakey and Steve Spartacus fight.

No, I don’t know who won but a search of one of the main search engines should tell you.

If you have ever left something on a train you may be interested to know that lost items are kept for thirteen weeks then sold at auction.

It’s a pity that guy’s violin wasn’t handed in, I might have picked up a bargain!

So, you have a family heirloom, an old violin.  You take it to London to be valued, it turns out to be worth £180,000, and on the way home you leave it on the train.

Are come on, it could happen to anyone.  You take a violin to a dealer who tells you it’s worth £180,000 and on the way home you forget you’ve got it with you.

Ok, seriously, it probably wouldn’t happen to most people, but it did happen to a Taunton man earlier this year.  He took his family heirloom, a 1698 Venice-made Goffriller violin to a London dealer to be valued.  The dealer put a valuation of £180,000 on the violin and the man set off home.  No doubt very pleased with the valuation.  When the train arrived at his station he got off, leaving the violin on the train.

I won’t name him because I’m sure he has suffered enough.  But I will say his story gave me a good laugh, but it won’t be funny to him.

His insurance company have offered a £10,000 reward for the return of the violin.  So if you have please hand it in and collect the reward, you will feel much better for it.

Hey, I love it when the little man, or woman, fights back against the big boys.  That’s why I love the following story.

A granny in Merseyside is fighting Tecos plans to knock down here house, to build a Tesco store by applying for permission to demolish the home of Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy.

The lady, who lives in Kirkby, is protesting at plans to knock down her, and 71 other houses to make way for Everton’s new stadium and a Tesco store.  She has put in a planning application to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council to knock down Sir Terry’s house and replace it with a community garden.

A spokeswoman for the council has said “This application will go through the normal planning process.”

Of course the council won’t grant the permission; Sir Terry has too much power for that.  But it is nice to see the little man, and woman, fighting back against the big corporations.

This lady may not win, but she has more support than Tesco, of that I am sure.  The world loves an underdog who won’t roll over for the big corporations.