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When Chulla mentioned an Art Deco building on Talbot Street I did wonder if it was where my Granny (and my Mum) worked for many years. That's the place. I can't remember what the company was called but I think they were something to do with mail-order. I do remember the big boss being Sir Isaac Wolfson. My Granny started work there as a secretary in 1955 when she was left widowed with not a penny to her name. She worked until she was 70 and retired in 1968. My Mum went to work there when my brother and I were old enough to be trusted to be given a key and to behave ourselves when we got home from school! Eventually Mum found an office job closer to home at Allen Solly in Arnold.

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This is the end result of the Talbot House rebuild. It actually doesn't look too bad; they've retained the important bits. Pity about the flags advertising students.

The surrounding buildings are gradually disappearing. This is looking up Talbot Street.   Weird seeing the old building surrounded by nothing.   And this is a view not po

Met my first boyfriend in the Byron Cinema, in1970. I was 12 and had taken my younger brother to see The Jungle Book. We still had icecream breaks between the supporting and main film. They had starte

MHS or Midland Household Stores was the name of the company in Talbot House, later to become CCN & later still Experian who still have several buildings in Nottingham. I worked for them on and off for several years. Talbot House contains several very nice art deco features which I hope are being kept or have been taken out for use elsewhere - a staircase, pictures, statues, wall friezes and had rooms very typically act deco in which I've attended many meetings.

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My wife has some pictures taken at Carrington Lido when she was a child - I'll search them out and see if there's anything of interest. I lived near Highfield's Lido, so went there regularly.

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Was Midland Household Stores a division of GUS then Moz? I know the big boss when members of my family worked there was Sir Isaac Wolfson, do you remember that name? You wouldn't have been there at the same time I doubt, being a youngster (around my age) and all that!

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Yes MHS was part of GUS. They did a lot of mail order business - you probably had or at least bought something out of one of their catalogues in the past. They also had furniture shops. Do you remember Cavendish or Woodhouse. They also owned several buildings in Nottingham. At some stage, 70s or 80s, they had a building at the top of Hockley where employees or those in the know could buy ex-catalogue items at a very cheap price. I first worked for MHS in the 70s, and my team leader then was Sir John Peace who is now the Chairman of Experian. I remember the name Sir Isaac Wolfson, but never met him.

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There's a Facebook page called I love hucknall and there is a lot about Byron cinema and it's revamping on there on or around 1st July

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The finest Art Deco building in the entire city and one of the best in the country is New Castle House on Castle Boulevard just opposite the Castle. It was the first contemporary steel framed, stone clad, curtain walled office block in the city and I believe that it has a Grade 1 Listing, so important and ground breaking is the design. I always liked this building, it stood out from the others and was always prominently visible from the Castle terrace. It wasn't until I started work as a trainee architect at Royle and Whitehorn at Castle Place in 1970 that I found out more about it. For a start Vernon Royle had a lovely water colour painting of it on his office wall, then he told me that the building had been designed in that very office by Frank Broadhead in the 1930's, Frank going on to form a partnership with Vernon Royle as Broadhead and Royle. The water colour was painted and signed by Frank Broadhead himself, I wonder what happened to it, the last I heard was that Vernon Royle was still alive only a few years ago, no doubt he took the painting with him when the office closed down in the 80's. Apart from the painting, the office had all the original drawings on linen drawing paper, this included all the fine detailing all done by hand in waterproof ink, they were magnificent. I recall doing a big sort out in the office during the mid 70's, many of the drawings were archived in the cellar, a vast complex going down three floors below Castle Place, I wonder if they're still there.

I remember New Castle House was given a big makeover a few years ago, presumably because of it's listed status all the original features had to remain intact.

Of course, I'd forgotten, it was originally called Viyella House, Frank Broadhead designed it as the company headquarters in 1932. The clock on the front was linked to a carrilion of bronze bells set over the entrance behind grilles, that played pre programmed tunes. I note a recent photo of the remodelled rear elevation looking over the canal, clearly even being listed couldn't save it from that cr#p being added on to disfigure the original lines, the planners must have had a full back pocket after approving that one.

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On 18/08/2014 at 2:07 PM, firbeck said:

The finest Art Deco building in the entire city and one of the best in the country is New Castle House on Castle Boulevard just opposite the Castle. It was the first contemporary steel framed, stone clad, curtain walled office block in the city and I believe that it has a Grade 1 Listing,

I'll bet a lot of people go past there with out ever noticing it's Art Deco; for some reason it doesn't jump out like other examples.

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It's only when you look closely at the entrance it becomes obvious.

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On 18/08/2014 at 2:07 PM, firbeck said:

I remember New Castle House was given a big makeover a few years ago, presumably because of it's listed status all the original features had to remain intact.

I think at that time, something was demolished/cleared from the rear of the building. When you look at from from the back - along the canal - it's quite spectacular in a different way. Bits were added on.

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Eighty years on and the old Viyella Head Office still looks good.

I wonder how many of the tin and glass shacks, that the developers have thrown-up around Nottingham over the past thirty years, will be around in 2064?

My money is on a big fat Zero.

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I know I bang on about Co Op House, but the staircase there was totally Art Deco, with a bit of Art Nouveau too.

I have fond memories of the old Co-op House on Parliment Street, mam used to take us to see Santa in his Grotto there and years later I met my wife at a works dinner dance in the Elizabethan Rooms and this year on 23rd November will be the 47th Anniversary of when we met there. Pity its not there now we could return and reminisce of that evening, actually it was a blind date and she has been calling me blind ever since (only joking dear ouch!!).

Yes the staircase was grand but as a kid I used to love going up and down in the lift which was manned by an attendant," going up, ladies fashion,haberdashery,furniture,electricals, fourth floor accounts and Elizabethan Rooms, going down". I often wonder if they designed Grace Brothers of "Are You Being Served" on our beloved Co-op House.

Can anyone remember queing up at the accounts for the divi? and can you remember your divi number? 97120 was ours, a lot of the terraced houses around the city used to have their divi number on a brick beside the back door so the milkman and breadman could write your divi ticket out while he was waiting for you to come to the door.

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can you remember your divi number? 97120 was ours, a lot of the terraced houses around the city used to have their divi number on a brick beside the back door so the milkman and breadman could write your divi ticket out while he was waiting for you to come to the door.

It seems almost everybody can remember their co-op number. http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4267&hl

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I can remember going to Calverton Lido. I have a photo of my wife sat outside at a table enjoying a soft drink. There was a low white fence around the seating area and I'm sure it was 1968.

I remember making a delivery to Papplewick Lido one scorching summer day and saying to the owner " oooh! I could just jump in there now" she said " theres a towel and a cossie go ahead". After I had nearly had a heart attack she told me the lido was fed by spring water and is always the same temperature.

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Same here Cliff Ton! I was a snotty sixteen year old in 1980 signing on for the first time. Thank goodness I only had to do it twice back then.........

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Not Nottingham, I know, but couldn't resist putting on images of the shrine to art deco - Eltham Palace in south London. If you are in London and don't know where to go, hop on the Overground and go to Eltham (use you Oyster card if you have one).

The two photos are from the brochure, as photography is not allowed. You enter the reception hall, a wonderful area with a large circular carpet and marquetry-panelled walls. The ground are lovely, too.

DSCN1119_zps5mdhoeia.jpg

DSCN1121_zpsohavgb7x.jpg

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There is one absolute Art Deco gem that survives in the centre of Nottingham, but forum members have to wait until this establishment has one of it's 'open days'.

I am referring to the Masonic Hall on Goldsmith Street. I think that its internal architecture /rooms will keep many an Art Deco lover in heaven.

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Stand near Newcastle House at midday if you can and listen to the clock bells, Priceless! and yes Talbot House will turn out to be the highest priced dwelling in Nottingham not inside The Park, it looks beautiful now even surrounded by wreckage.

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The surrounding buildings are gradually disappearing. This is looking up Talbot Street.

oLGtiTx.jpg

 

Weird seeing the old building surrounded by nothing.

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And this is a view not possible for over 50 years. The spire is St Barnabas Cathedral; the white-topped building to its left is the Strathdon Hotel, and then looking further down Maid Marian Way is the Britannia Hotel.

diFL5Nz.jpg

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