susyshoes 69 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 This has more than likely been covered before but i cant seem to find anything on here. Next to the Coach & Horses on Upper Parliament Street is a lovely old Watson Fothergill building, which, over the entrance on the corner, says 'Express Buildings'. It now houses Greggs and a couple of other shops, but what was it originally and what has it been used for over the years? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,454 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 I'm not sure of the building's very early history but I know something of its more recent past. Back in the early 1960s and before, there were two evening papers in Nottingham, the Evening Post and the Evening News. The Post was printed in Forman Street near Trinity Square (all gone now) and the Evening News was printed in the Express Buildings. Some time in the 60s the two papers merged, although it was really a takeover by the Post. For a while the paper operated as the "Evening Post and News" but before long the "News" bit was quietly dropped. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Here's a bit about the old newspaper and premises: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham_Daily_Express http://www.nottingham21.co.uk/build_expressoff_1.htm I was told that Nottingham at one time had two morning newspapers, two evening papers and also two football papers on a Saturday. I'm not sure how accurate that is though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Here's a historical list of all the region's newspapers which are kept on microfilm at local libraries. No doubt those editions are amongst there somewhere. I see the Guardian Journal there which was T. Bailey Forman's (Evening Post) morning paper that apparently appears to have amalgamated with The Express company's morning paper. http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1817 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,454 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 I was told that Nottingham at one time had two morning newspapers, two evening papers and also two football papers on a Saturday. I'm not sure how accurate that is though. Weird coincidence, I was just looking at that subject when you posted. In an old guide to Nottingham from the 1920 which I have, it says there were "Four dailies - Express, Evening News, Guardian, and Evening Post; and two weeklies, the Guardian and the Express" In a similar publication from the 1940s there was "Morning - Nottingham Guardian and Nottingham Journal; Evening - Nottingham Evening News and Nottingham Evening Post; and weekly - Nottingham Weekly Guardian" Helluva lot of reading Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Excellent stuff, thanks for for that. I've always been intrigued by the Express's football edition which I assume would have been called the 'Football News'. Judging by the age of the relative that told me of it I've always assumed it was running until at least the 1940s/50s. I recall the Guardian Journal (in the 1970s?) which became a very thin edition before finally folding (pun intended!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
susyshoes 69 Posted December 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Really interesting thank you for that. Its a beautiful building. Do you know if the offices above are still used? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
denshaw 2,871 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Not sure now Sue but they were used at one time by Denman Casting Agency and Charles Noble photography (mentioned on here). 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 I seem to recall a Saturday "Football Post" printed on pink paper? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Charles Noble was in the big building (Cimema) next door not in Susyshoes building. What was the name for that? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
denshaw 2,871 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Elite. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,454 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 The Elite Building?....which started life as the Elite Cinema denshaw beat me to it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Thanks, I think the Watson Fothergill Building is empty and in a bit of a state? It is next to the Nottm BS too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
susyshoes 69 Posted December 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Yep . The nottingham building society's head office. They've been there a long time too but they are on the move to new premises at huntingdon Court on mansfield rd. The branch is still staying on parliament street but the offices above are being moved to the new buildings in january. My parents were married in 1947 (Feb 1st, one of the worst winters on record) and they had their reception at The Elite, so it must have been some sort of ballroom as well as cinema then as they would hardly have had their celebrations in the aisles?? (then again you never know) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,454 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 My parents were married in 1947 (Feb 1st, one of the worst winters on record) and they had their reception at The Elite, so it must have been some sort of ballroom as well as cinema then as they would hardly have had their celebrations in the aisles?? (then again you never know) Looks like it was a classy place for a wedding reception http://www.pictureth...502677&prevUrl= http://www.pictureth...502676&prevUrl= Quote Link to post Share on other sites
susyshoes 69 Posted December 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 wow, it does look very poshe! My mum always called it The Elite Ballroom and not The Elite Cinema. (She always liked to upsell!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
denshaw 2,871 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Late seventies/early eighties when it was a bingo hall there was a large room on the first floor overlooking Parliament street. This seemed to be separate from the bingo hall and had its own bar. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
susyshoes 69 Posted December 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Actually the write up on this PTP photo does state it could be made into a ball room http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM015860&action=zoom&pos=5&id=71502&continueUrl= Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 My Mum and Dad had their receptiom in "The Sunshine Rooms" under the Odeon on Angel row, I 'accidentally' rediscovered it in around 1975 when we did 'Cinema Collections' for the RAFA and The Variety Club , it had been used for storage and was in a right state Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hippo girl 1,995 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Hi susy, where you at the NBS party today in the new offices on Mansfield road ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
susyshoes 69 Posted December 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Hi, no. I work at the Hucknall office. Not sure what the occasion was today - they havent moved in yet. Didnt realise there was a party (any excuse for them to have one me thinks). mind you i finished for Christmas last week so having a leisurely couple of weeks off. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,454 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 I recall the Guardian Journal (in the 1970s?) which became a very thin edition before finally folding (pun intended!) I did a paper round in the late 1960s and I remember delivering a couple of Guardian Journals daily. It certainly had become thin, and a bit of a joke. The front page headline would be a national story, and the rest was just a local paper shuffled around. It was originally printed alongside the Evening News in the Express Buildings (to come back to the original topic) and the management used to try and boost its image by always mentioning that one of their previous writers had been JM Barrie - the guy who wrote Peter Pan. The truth was that he had done a few freelance shifts for them and probably wrote about three pieces. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Lived on Peel Street at the time so I'm lead to believe? I'm in that area quite a bit and I wondered if there was a plaque or anything other to commemorate the fact that he'd lived there? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 I seem to recall a Saturday "Football Post" printed on pink paper? I too remember this paper; my father used to take it up into the 60s. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 The Elite Building?....which started life as the Elite Cinema \snip\ I seem to recall thee Beatles performing at the ABC Elite in about 1963. When did it cease to be a cinema? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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