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I had friends who had a flat in one of the tower blocks can’t remember what floor but was really high up. It was a really nice flat, but they never really settled there. Later another friend got a flat in one of the smaller blocks, she was really happy but I always got lost when I went to see her, it was a bit of a rabbit warren and looked quite hideous (concrete jungle comes to mind in more ways than one). 

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The current Mrs Fly lived there with her ex and baby in the early 70's. She detested every moment there.

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A woman, Pauline, that worked for me at Gerards had one of those Basford flats which looked out on to Gregory Boulevard. She thought it was an absolutely wonderful place, not least that if she stood on a chair and looked across the boulevard through her binoculars she was able to see directly into one of the brothels across the road - and then come into work the following day with detailed descriptions of the goings on and how disgusting it was.

 

She could never see the irony of her activities.

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Had a couple football of mates live in Basford flats they loved it.........think the flats you mean Jonab were Hyson Green................

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5 minutes ago, benjamin1945 said:

Had a couple football of mates live in Basford flats they loved it.........think the flats you mean Jonab were Hyson Green................

Looked very similar to the ones in the video but, one concrete box is much the same as another and it is a long time since I was there.

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Yes Jonab and only about 2 miles apart.........but the big hill between would obscure your view a bit...............

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  • 2 months later...
  • 5 months later...

I remember those flats ,they really were an eyesore. People living in boxes comes to mind. I've only ever lived in a flat twice, the first time until we found a house here in Italy. Three months was too much, doors banging and slamming, couples arguing and cooking smells of all sorts of things. Then the second time we stayed just under a year , it was away from the centre, very quiet and only four apartments all very educated. Then we came back to U.K.

Give me space every time.

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They were the same style and design as those at Hyson Green and Ballon Woods, and they didn't last long either. I believe they were officially known as "Deck Access flats".

 

As katyjay says, damp was a big problem from early on, as well as the method of construction (a version of pre-fab panels), and the workforce who built them weren't exactly good or bothered.

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  • 1 month later...

How very dare you!!!  I worked on those flats and was the veritable soul of efficiency, conscientiousness and integrity. ...... :P  Great video ...

 

In all seriousness though.. I did work on them for a few months. I may have recounted much of this before.. As far as I can work out I'd have been there from late 1968 and through to early 1969. I've worked that out partly from the fact that we used to have the odd 'scoop' in the newly built Horse and Jockey on David Lane and I remember the rather dotty woman who ran the onsite canteen dancing around in the pub to the strains of The Equals 'Baby Come Back' from the juke box.  It was issued in '68.

 

I worked for Drury who had the contract for 'groundwork'.  So, mostly we did concreting.. but we did get dragged into other activities.  If I recall correctly, the actual construction of the (four?) 20 story high rise blocks and the numerous (7 story?)  'deck access' blocks..was done by Bison Construction.. which is still going.

 

I was in a concreting gang led by an old chap called Tommy Lye (sp?) who would regale us with tales of his former life in the Merchant Navy.  His other main conversation piece was 'Get yer shovels an' foller me...'  whereupon we would wander off to some concreting task.  Concrete is heavy.. and it's also very corrosive to the skin.  We weren't provided with gloves. I'm not sure that even safety helmets or footwear were provided either. More than once I would decide it was as quick to walk home up Park Lane etc.. as it was to first walk the length of the site to wash concrete off my hands.  I well recall standing at home, still in work gear..with my hands in a bowl of warm water,, and the skin of every finger/knuckle joint split and bleeding.  Even when I got gloves.. leather ones would get wet and freezing.. waterproof 'rubberised' ones would be icy.

 

If you watch the video.. there's a point where they drive past the Lord Nelson.. which was also a 'rebuild' pub in which we had the odd 'scoop'.  Just before it is the base of a deck access ramp.  The concrete for that was poured in very cold weather and there was a fear that freezing conditions might damage the still wet concrete.  So.. myself and another chap Greg Chappel.. who I still see occasionally in Boowul Wethies..were asked to work overtime and keep a 'Salamander' heater going next to the ramp.  We mostly watched it from inside the pub..through the window.  A 'salamander' is an interesting and potentially very dangerous beast.  A very crude type of liquid fuel heater and not to be confused with more modern ( and much safer) 'Torpedo' heaters. 

 

I spent one freezing afternoon stood on the street, where an old and 'uncapped' underground electric cable had been exposed.  It was merrily sparking away in the rain. and I was put 'on guard', to stop passing school kids from electrocuting themselves.

 

The flats were being erected at the same time as the Ronan Point incident in London..where a new block of flats partially collapsed.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronan_Point

The Basford flats were basically built like a 'house of cards', using prefabricated concrete panels.  After Ronan Point.. it was decided that every join between floors and vertical panels would be re-inforced by adding steel angle brackets, secured by large 'Rawl' bolt fasteners.  I spent some time drilling holes for those, whilst sitting on freezing concrete.. or any empty cement bags I could find.

 

Somewhere here I'm sure I've previously recounted the tale of the 400 foot rope and the fire doors...  I'll see if I can find it...

 

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4 hours ago, DJ360 said:

I've worked that out partly from the fact that we used to have the odd 'scoop' in the newly built Horse and Jockey on David Lane 

 

If you watch the video.. there's a point where they drive past the Lord Nelson.. which was also a 'rebuild' pub in which we had the odd 'scoop'. 

 

I've been in both of those pubs back in the 80s, but I haven't been in the area in recent times. Looking on Streetview and checking other sources, both buildings are still there and apparently unchanged, but they are now both converted into flats. There don't seem to be any pubs left in Basford.

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The Horse & Jockey up until recently housed a car body repair workshop and a martial arts centre.

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I worked on the site for Otis installing the lifts. We started installing the lifts before the upper floors of the towers were done. We watched as the pre-cast concrete sections were lowered into position by the crane and large screw studs on the lower section had to be be located into slots on the upper section being lowered by the crane before nuts and washers were fitted to secure. On some occasions the labourers struggled to get the stud and slot aligned so the 'technical expert' just hammered the studs out of the way and that fixing wasn't used! These high rise flats were installed in all cities across the UK in the 60s/70s. Some are still standing and have had several major upgrades but many, like those around Nottingham, were deemed a failure and demolished.

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