Margate in the 1950s

[Scotchie]

Just picked up this pre Arlington House postcard - amazes me the number of coaches !



Full size

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doverpast/4954777866/sizes/o/in/photostream/

[jo.clarinet]

Nice pic - I don't think I've seen one from this angle before without Arlington House in it! What an eyesore that building is.....in an era when most of these ghastly concrete tower blocks are now being done away with, or at the very least sympathetically refurbished on the outside, I keep hoping to see it disappear....

[Vince, Charlie and Sam]

Arlington House... I keep hoping to see it disappear....

Just for you Jo...



Would love to be able to claim the credit for the pic, it's a cracker but the accolade goes to Paul F who did this for us a few years ago.

[jo.clarinet]

Oh, that's wonderful - thank you ! Sorry for the tardy response, but I've been out (down to Margate to visit my relations, actually) and have only just got back.

Every time I visit, I think how lovely the beaches are and how vibrant the whole place was when I was a child. Let's hope that some of the atmosphere will return once Dreamland is up and running again......

[Vince, Charlie and Sam]

It really is the most horrible building imaginable, what on earth were the local Council thinking of? I have visited industrial towns and cities throughout the former Soviet Union and I have never seen such a grey and ugly concrete monstrosity.

I suppose it just goes to show that stupidity and short-sightedness are nothing new in Thanet.

From next year, it will have a competitor in the Turner Centre... something else that "seemed a good idea at the time"

[Muzza]

I realise this may be a minority opinion, but as a fan of modernist architecture and of brutalism in particular, I love Arlington House. Agreed, it hasn't looked its best for a while now - it's appalling that the exterior has been so neglected and the arcade beneath effectively abandoned. But when I look at the images above of Margate seafront without it, I miss its monolithic beauty.

[Cheryl]

Should have gone to Spec Savers!

[timj]

I realise this may be a minority opinion, but as a fan of modernist architecture and of brutalism in particular, I love Arlington House. Agreed, it hasn't looked its best for a while now - it's appalling that the exterior has been so neglected and the arcade beneath effectively abandoned. But when I look at the images above of Margate seafront without it, I miss its monolithic beauty.

I agree its quite a nice looking building although it may have been more appropriate in a city with taller buildings in general. The residents towards the top must have fabulous views.

Just think when it was built and the 70's 80's in general - wouldn't we like to go back to then with the scenic operating and all the other rides?
Its not Arlington house in the background thats the problem, its the empty Dreamland down below.

Lets just hope that there are successful attractions / distractions down below when Dreamland reopens!

Tim

[Muzza]

Just think when it was built and the 70's 80's in general - wouldn't we like to go back to then with the scenic operating and all the other rides?

I agree - whenever I see the Dreamland site in its current state I find it utterly heartbreaking. I spent my childhood summers in the 70s and 80s in Dreamland and for me the sight of Arlington House was as much a part of the excitement as the rides. It was the first high rise I ever saw and it fascinated me - in fact it may be what sparked my interest in modernist architecture in the first place!

[phelco]

what people who slag it down forget is that at the time it was an architectural innovation - it was an icon on margate seafront - the only highrise in thanet

the carpark below was superb as it housed the hundreds of coaches and cars that used to come to margate in the 60s and 70s

because now it is full of graffitti and syringes shouldnt mean that when it was built it was the same

an ex neighbour was employed on it all the time and he has a fantastic photo of the topping off ceremony

ph

[Vince, Charlie and Sam]

Arlington House was horrible then and it is horrible now, just as the Turner Centre looks more hideous and out of place the bigger it gets and the more out-of-place it looks in Margate Harbour.

[EAS]

Arlington House (Tower) as it was

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauls_phot ... 130163197/

Actually, as these things go, well designed; just rather out on a limb and out of place on its own.

Be interesting to see the Turner. I reserve judgement. Hope Chipperfield wins the Stirling for Neues Museum though.

[Muzza]

Arlington House (Tower) as it was

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauls_phot ... 130163197/

Love how crisp and clean the structure looks. There are also some great shots of Dreamland in that stream!

[Vince, Charlie and Sam]

Part of the problem is that concrete does not weather well and unlike brick-built structures which look better with age, concrete just looks dirty and shabby. As things currently stand, it just looks like a slum in the sky.

There is talk of cladding it and replacing all of the windows(which are single-glazed) but residents are being expected to pay £17,000 each for this, and as this is something TDC have stipulated as a pre-condition before granting planning permission to Tesco for their development, residents feel that Tesco ought to be picking up the tab.

The proposed new windows are also apparently going to be tinted, which will further improve insulation for the occupants, as well of saving us from having to look at those awful shabby curtains which they all seem to have.

[Muzza]

It'd be a shame if they clad Arlington House - I live by a beautiful concrete tower block which was recently clad, and its new facade completely obscures the architectural detail of the building. It now looks fat and plastic.

Scaffolding went up at the back of the building in Arlington Square a few weeks ago - I heard it was to test the feasibility of cleaning the concrete and try out a replacement window.