Council puts another historic building on the market (From Daily Echo)
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God's House Tower lease up for sale
10:00am Sunday 12th June 2011 in Southampton
By Matt Smith, Politics and business reporter
Council puts another historic building on the market
CASH-strapped Southampton City Council bosses have put another historic building on the market.
The Tory-run council is offering to lease the Grade I listed God's House Tower in Town Quay for at least 20 years for use as offices or and an exhibition gallery.
It is currently the home of Southampton's museum of archaeology whose exhibits are moving to Tudor House and the city's new Sea City Museum, which is set to open in April next year.
The museum displays artefacts from prehistoric, Roman, Saxon and medieval Southampton.
Part of the building, which stands on the south-east corner of the town walls that had once encircled medieval Southampton, dates back to the 13th century.
It was the town jail until 1855 then used as a storage depot by the Southampton Harbour Board. It was converted into the Museum of Archaeology 50 years ago.
It comes after the Daily Echo revealed that Southampton's Titanic Museum is being sold off to become a pub or cafe.
The Grade I listed Wool House, which houses the city's Maritime Museum, is the only surviving freestanding mediaeval warehouse in Southampton, built in 1415 as a storehouse for wool to be exported to Europe.
Under a minimum 20 year lease the building could be-come an office, a pub, cafe, restaurant, art gallery, or an exhibition centre.
The council says it will conserve the building while bringing it back into the commercial life of the city.
Comments(25)
joenice1
says...
10:20am Sun 12 Jun 11
COYS
Vonnie
says...
10:22am Sun 12 Jun 11
GHT was the first purpose built ordinanced (gun-emplaced) watch tower in this country. Much of it is original, but has been allowed to rot by successive Councils.
I should imagine English Heritage will have something to say about its future use.
Whoever takes up the lease will not be able to change any of the originality of it, and that has been the problem the Council has had in keeping within the Access for All legislation. A private concern will have even bigger problems.
So who will take up the lease?
OSPREYSAINT
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10:34am Sun 12 Jun 11
MisterGrimsdale
says...
10:52am Sun 12 Jun 11
OSPREYSAINT wrote:......A phosphate worse than death.
Isn't that selling our heritage for a mass of potash?
Vonnie
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10:52am Sun 12 Jun 11
OSPREYSAINT wrote:It is a "mess of potage" actually, but "yes" I agree with you. Successive Councils have had no interest whatever in the heritage of this city and have allowed buildings and the walls to be closed, be underused, or left to deteriorate.
Isn't that selling our heritage for a mass of potash?
One only has to look at other places to see how they have utilised lesser attractions to their potential to realize just how shoddy Southampton has become both for the visitor and resident.
Zeo
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11:45am Sun 12 Jun 11
loosehead
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1:32pm Sun 12 Jun 11
a and e
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2:26pm Sun 12 Jun 11
Eadwig
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2:50pm Sun 12 Jun 11
sotonbusdriver
says...
2:55pm Sun 12 Jun 11
Vonnie wrote:This is 1 of a few Cities in the UK, that despite our heritage... There is not enough left standing that during the summer season we don't have opentop bus tours.
OSPREYSAINT wrote:It is a "mess of potage" actually, but "yes" I agree with you. Successive Councils have had no interest whatever in the heritage of this city and have allowed buildings and the walls to be closed, be underused, or left to deteriorate.
Isn't that selling our heritage for a mass of potash?
One only has to look at other places to see how they have utilised lesser attractions to their potential to realize just how shoddy Southampton has become both for the visitor and resident.
Something that use to be a regular thing in Southampton, has gone probably now for ever.
Too much of the old walls have been destroyed or decayed... With others hidden by new out of place buildings.
Although the Council has done things to improve the status with shopping centres, all but 1 has been a flop, leaving the City divided into a small prosperous area around the precinct, and the remaining shopping areas dead just like our history...
Skinner 1941
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3:46pm Sun 12 Jun 11
clausentum
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4:34pm Sun 12 Jun 11
Condor Man wrote:Have you activated your wondrous, infallible, celestial, personal line of communication with God to check he approves of his House Tower being flogged off?
It makes sense for the council to get revenue in for a building they own which is not being used.
bobbyboy
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4:42pm Sun 12 Jun 11
clausentum
says...
5:09pm Sun 12 Jun 11
bobbyboy wrote:" . . . these places belong to the cities people"
More of the family silver being sold off so they can IMPROVE THERE OFFICE LIFESTYLE and sod the rest of us these places belong to the cities people and we should have a say it what happens not behind closed doors sell off some of that so called hidden art mountain before you sell places that it could be hung and we can see what we purchased and before it somehow disappears for ever.
I'm not sure you are right about this. Everything belongs to someone but very little belongs to "us".
Perhaps the issue is less about who might have ownership and therefore the right to sell, but rather a question of the Council exercising intelligently, diligently, and honourably, stewardship over what they "own"? And that their financial stewardship benefits most people in the community they serve?
IronLady2010
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7:22pm Sun 12 Jun 11
pod
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8:02pm Sun 12 Jun 11
IronLady2010 wrote:correct me if I am wrong, but are you not the poster who called the bin uneducated and not having 2 brain cells to rub together.
Never heard of it and I'm local! Southampton seems to have a reputation for not promoting it's History!
Rob444
says...
9:21pm Sun 12 Jun 11
A total disgrace.
IronLady2010
says...
9:40pm Sun 12 Jun 11
pod wrote:Are you suggesting that a bin is educated?
IronLady2010 wrote:correct me if I am wrong, but are you not the poster who called the bin uneducated and not having 2 brain cells to rub together.
Never heard of it and I'm local! Southampton seems to have a reputation for not promoting it's History!
Try reading your post before pressing submit?
Vonnie
says...
11:12pm Sun 12 Jun 11
IronLady2010 wrote:IronLady2010 wrote:
Never heard of it and I'm local! Southampton seems to have a reputation for not promoting it's History!
"Never heard of it and I'm local! Southampton seems to have a reputation for not promoting it's History! "
That says it all.
SpittingMoreFire
says...
5:50am Mon 13 Jun 11
Vonnie wrote:Considering it has been the Museum of Archaeology it does have the facilities in place to cater for an art gallery or other exhibition centre.
I don't suppose many people will lose any sleep over it. Which is dreadful, really.
GHT was the first purpose built ordinanced (gun-emplaced) watch tower in this country. Much of it is original, but has been allowed to rot by successive Councils.
I should imagine English Heritage will have something to say about its future use.
Whoever takes up the lease will not be able to change any of the originality of it, and that has been the problem the Council has had in keeping within the Access for All legislation. A private concern will have even bigger problems.
So who will take up the lease?
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Plus, with the washy waterfront plans in mind (yes, that crucial commercial development which is going to take TWENTY years to complete) both God's House and Wool House are in prime locations for that burgeoning tourist trap trade.
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Let us hope that both locations will be leased to an occupant who plans to cater them for public use, bring them much publicity, and look after them well, otherwise it will be a travesty: another victory for Hannides and his heritage horrors.
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Split-tingfire's quote of note:
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"It comes after the Daily Echo revealed that Southampton's Titanic Museum is being sold off to become a pub or cafe."
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Now I know I've been away quite a bit in the last couple of weeks and missed some local news and I know whenever there's a story about this, the basics seem to change:
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First it's billed as a Titanic museum; then it'll just feature a permanent exhibition of the Titanic; then it'll just be an exhibition for a year for visitors to gasp in horror at the macabre spectacle that awaits...
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But my God's House Tower! This Sea City Museum, this Titanic travesty seems to be seeing a total change of use already, and it's not even opened yet!
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When is the opening date, April 14th? Auspicious day to set sail a sinking ship.
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I think it is already haemorrhaging money from its bowels, don't you, Mr Smith?
townieboy
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6:20am Mon 13 Jun 11
SpittingMoreFire
says...
6:43am Mon 13 Jun 11
Vonnie wrote:What you have here Vonnie, typifies the thoughtless, Thatcherite philistine.
IronLady2010 wrote:IronLady2010 wrote:
Never heard of it and I'm local! Southampton seems to have a reputation for not promoting it's History!
"Never heard of it and I'm local! Southampton seems to have a reputation for not promoting it's History! "
That says it all.
.
Unfortunately, the Soton Cons are riddled with this breed of toffee-nosed Tory. They worship the Iron Lady and devoutly follow her principles. Yet when it comes to truly understanding the Divine, they are certainly lacking.
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Indeed, the purest example of this breed can be found in the philistine of the highest order at the city’s Lodge of Bodge, Councillor “Hellish” Hannides, Cabinet Meister for Outsources and Displeasure.
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You’ll currently find him emptying his portfolios for all they are worth.
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Lease-hold, free-hold; from medieval buildings, to trading estates, wasted land and former schools, nightclubs, and even God’s very own Tower, this Judas doesn’t care. It all must be disposed of, and done as quickly as possible.
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He must exhaust every possibility of alternative funding. There must be no other options. So that:-
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HE CAN THEN MAKE A START ON THE ART.
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Some of which will pay for the pokey flats tagged on the new arts complex.
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The grand scheme of things. The Business Plan.
.
I’ve heard tell that he has already bought harm to some of the paintings.
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He has spent so much time salivating over them he has smudged the paint and devalued them.
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There isn't anything that will not suffer at the hands of Horrible Hannides.
Philistine of the highest order at the Lodge of Bodge,
The Council’s meister of outsources and displeasure.
Bagamn
says...
2:19pm Mon 13 Jun 11
The Wickham Man
says...
6:54pm Mon 13 Jun 11
SpittingMoreFire wrote:Are you ill, or just one of Terry Wogan's moronic TOGs looking around desperately for somewhere to spread your infantile wit?
Vonnie wrote:What you have here Vonnie, typifies the thoughtless, Thatcherite philistine.
IronLady2010 wrote:IronLady2010 wrote:
Never heard of it and I'm local! Southampton seems to have a reputation for not promoting it's History!
"Never heard of it and I'm local! Southampton seems to have a reputation for not promoting it's History! "
That says it all.
.
Unfortunately, the Soton Cons are riddled with this breed of toffee-nosed Tory. They worship the Iron Lady and devoutly follow her principles. Yet when it comes to truly understanding the Divine, they are certainly lacking.
.
Indeed, the purest example of this breed can be found in the philistine of the highest order at the city’s Lodge of Bodge, Councillor “Hellish” Hannides, Cabinet Meister for Outsources and Displeasure.
.
You’ll currently find him emptying his portfolios for all they are worth.
.
Lease-hold, free-hold; from medieval buildings, to trading estates, wasted land and former schools, nightclubs, and even God’s very own Tower, this Judas doesn’t care. It all must be disposed of, and done as quickly as possible.
.
He must exhaust every possibility of alternative funding. There must be no other options. So that:-
.
HE CAN THEN MAKE A START ON THE ART.
.
Some of which will pay for the pokey flats tagged on the new arts complex.
.
The grand scheme of things. The Business Plan.
.
I’ve heard tell that he has already bought harm to some of the paintings.
.
He has spent so much time salivating over them he has smudged the paint and devalued them.
.
There isn't anything that will not suffer at the hands of Horrible Hannides.
Philistine of the highest order at the Lodge of Bodge,
The Council’s meister of outsources and displeasure.
Condor Man says...
10:06am Sun 12 Jun 11