old Fire Station on Manchester Road

Atarah · 23-01-2009, 23:39

Been past today and there is "something afoot".
Two "workmen" stood by the open doorway into the building. Large pieces of new wood nailed to the bottom of each doorway where the engines came out of. Through a "hole" in one of the windows, could see inside and there are rows and rows of what looked like long metal bars (similar in style to downspouts).

Mmmmm, wonder whats going on.

Atarah
The reason I have always been interested in this building is cos one of my great uncles, George Hindle, worked as a stone mason for Cunliffe's of Accrington, who were the builders of the station.

katex · 24-01-2009, 11:36

This is the only thing I can find on it Atarah, whether there has been anything since don't know.

http://www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/site/cu...11_06_0137.pdf

wadey · 26-01-2009, 20:58

I thought they had paid well over the odds for it.

cashman · 26-01-2009, 22:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by wadey

I thought they had paid well over the odds for it.

i wouldn't know wadey. i never bought a fire station.

Atarah · 26-01-2009, 23:45

Am still none the wiser but when I came past on the bus today (was too dark to take a piccy) one of the large red doors has been completely taken down and replaced with a large glass "door" split into smaller sized panes. There seemed to be an "advertising board" or something with 3 initials as a name of some sort. Must get down there Tues and have a nosey again.
Atarah

flashy · 27-01-2009, 08:19

we went passed on Saturday and i noticed the block type pieces of wood that you mentioned, i didnt see anything else though, maybe they did that on Sunday

Retlaw · 27-01-2009, 14:07

Just called in the Old Fire Station, and asked them what they were doing, they said they were turning it into a resturant, replacing the doors with double glazed units. I said is that what all the kitchen stuff is for in the old garages, the answer was yes.
I then burst out laughing, told them who'd want to eat in a goldfish bowl, any way the building was'nt worth repairing for the fire service, because the foundations are moving, the bloke who built it went bankrupt, because he had'nt reckoned on the ground conditions.

Retlaw.

derekgas · 27-01-2009, 19:52

This building went to auction at least 12 months ago, if I remember correctly, it went for £450,000, and the proposal at that time was for apartments, but I believe there was an issue with parking spaces. I stand to be corrected though, as some of the info received is likely to be just heresay.

katex · 27-01-2009, 20:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by derekgas

This building went to auction at least 12 months ago, if I remember correctly, it went for £450,000, and the proposal at that time was for apartments, but I believe there was an issue with parking spaces. I stand to be corrected though, as some of the info received is likely to be just heresay.

Oh please look at my post Derekgas on the Planning Permission granted and the conditions ! x

Retlaw · 27-01-2009, 20:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by derekgas

This building went to auction at least 12 months ago, if I remember correctly, it went for £450,000, and the proposal at that time was for apartments, but I believe there was an issue with parking spaces. I stand to be corrected though, as some of the info received is likely to be just heresay.

When I worked there all the parking spaces were clearly defined, the cops had theirs, weights and measures had theirs & the rest was fire brigade.

The history of the site where the cop shop, fire station and the houses were built is interesting, to me anyway. It might look a sturdy building, but its not, the foundations have been shored up in some places, the rear wall in Grange Lane had to be rebuilt, during the 1970's, the houses on the Grange Lane side, had tons of concrete poured under them, some of the susidence was near a foot in places, there are large cracks in the station drill yard,which have been patched up with new tarmac, and some of the old houses that were in what became the drill yard, are still there, underground intact. The cops wanted an underground control room, when the builders cut through the wall in the cellar, they arrived at the open window of an old cottage, every thing inside was intact, walls fire places, even some old furniture, the builders backed off quick & sealed the wall back up. The under ground control room never got built.

Retlaw.

Retlaw · 27-01-2009, 20:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by katex

Oh please look at my post Derekgas on the Planning Permission granted and the conditions ! x

Katey
Every so often I go down to the old Station, to see whats going on. I worked & lived in that building for 30 years. When I first started it was a 56 hour week 3 days, 9am - 6pm then 3 nights, 6pm - 9am on a 3 shift system, A, B, & C watches. I was on B watch. I managed to rescue the old log book for when I joined, they were being burnt.

That planning application is near 3 years old, the kitchen equipment I saw in the old garages this afternoon, had been stacked inside the Fire Station for near 12 months. At one time it was stacked up with old metal office furniture, and looked a right tip.

Retlaw.

katex · 27-01-2009, 20:32

Very interesting Retlaw, but surely before the owners purchased this building they would have paid out for full survey before purchasing, which surely would have thrown up these 'faults' ... so do you think your sarcastic laugh at the workers was justified ?

They had to start the work withing 3 years anyway.

Retlaw · 27-01-2009, 20:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by katex

Very interesting Retlaw, but surely before the owners purchased this building they would have paid out for full survey before purchasing, which surely would have thrown up these 'faults' ... so do you think your sarcastic laugh at the workers was justified ?

They had to start the work withing 3 years anyway.

Katey
A full survey, with Lancs County Council holding all the cards, you must be joking, they are the ones that kept doing the bodge up jobs, do you think they would open all their files.

One of my tasks as the Fire Brigade Union Rep was health and safety, I made a 3 monthly report to the station commander, who in turn passed it to division & then to H.Q., every so often the county inspector would turn up, have a look, see the station commander and then disappear.

I ony wish I'd kept a copy of my reports. The workmen wer'nt bothered when I laughed, they will do there job get paid and move to the next job,
what happens after they could'nt care less.

Retlaw.

katex · 27-01-2009, 21:01

Oh well, better be careful then when eating at the new restaurant, in case our Prawn Cocktails fall through the floor boards ....

Retlaw · 27-01-2009, 21:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by katex

Oh well, better be careful then when eating at the new restaurant, in case our Prawn Cocktails fall through the floor boards ....

Don't worry about the floor boards, its a tiled floor on concrete, just don't go near the front doors that are now being replaced with double glazing.

Under there there is a 3 foot square tunnel running the full length of the building, it was for the central heating pipes fed from the boiler house in the cop shop cellar, all that would have been turned off, when it was sold, and damp will have set in, remember it was sold by auction, buyer beware.

All the heating, in what was known as the bath block, has gone as well, plasters coming off the walls, they are also two vehicle inspection pits in the fire station which were boarded over, if you don't know where they are, you may be one of the lucky ones that goes through.

Retlaw