Sad to see the old tower go. Had lots of fun there in the 1980's when I was a young man, with HD (BMc), AC and others. LATCC gone too now! Look forward to seeing pictures of Swanwick being demolished though, preferably before I start pushing up diasies!

Its worth living forever to see Swanwick being demolished.

Dreadful soulless place where the Fun Police rule.

I was once with a colleague who got told off for laughing in the Swanwick canteen.

Do tell!

2 s

2Sheds.

Nothing to tell.

A group of us just got told off for laughing in the staff canteen.

I always remember a friend who worked for BA came to Swanwick for a visit and described it as "Waterside by the Solent" as he found it very similar to the dispiriting BA headquarters.

Somehow I couldn't imagine getting told off for laughing in the old days at LHR.

Swanwick became a much more vibrant place around November 2007 :E

I couldn't imagine getting told of for laughing at Swanwick nowadays. A polite foxtrot oscar would probably be forthcoming.

Pitty the tower at LHR wasn't listed but English Heritage have their views on what's important. We're trying to get the few remainng cold war missile silos listed (for example at RAF Molesworth) but not sure they are interested.

Ninja.

Aah! that would explain it.

Fallows xx

That's a very good point cwatters. How did that carbuncle in West London (Trellick Tower) manage to get Grade 2 listing but the fine tower at LHR didn't!?

Explained in post #3.

Trellick Tower = because folks pay to live there, and it gave the luvvies of Notting Hill something to adore (not much else).
An imaginative architect could have preserved the LHR Tower by building around it as a historical centrepiece (similar to British Museum) with the building they wish to put there, but money (& Spanish win).:*

Trinity 09L : not just CTBs, not just UK. Our local (french) hospice got a quadzillion euros to rebuild, so they totally destroy the beautiful 100+ yo building to make way for a euronowhere bland piece of modern tat. They could have preserved the facade and modernised behind it, but no - just more crap to look at.

The really disturbing thing is that some old guy who hasn't yet been born is going to be saying the exact same thing about the 2012 version one day.......

I loved the old tower; it had real character - by comparison, the new one is just a hastily-contrived, poorly designed tinpot stick of $hite.

and in the old tower it was amazing what could be heard through the partition walls of the dormitory ..... :E

(and we won't mention the night shift ''shenanigans'' which occurred in the snooker room!)

haha! happy days! :ok:

I recall visiting the old tower with BRL and a few other forumites 7 or 8 years ago, which was a great privilege and for which many thanks to those who arranged it.

That was a good day. :ok:

It is always a bit sad to see a structure being demolished that has good associations.

I also visited LATCC at West Drayton (also now gone). Gosh, I'm beginning to see a pattern - you'd better not invite me to the new tower...;)

SD

I believe Sub Brit are working on it too.

I opened a bottle of 40 year old malt when I read that HMP West Drayton was to be leveled to the ground.

Lon More
Why did you celebrate that the H M Prison West Drayton aka LATCC was to be leveled? Unhappy memories?

Showing your age now TDM!!! ;):E

Unbelievable apathy wrt 'recent' history abounds in the UK.

When I was a Greenham Common Commissioner after the site was returned to 'public' ownership I tried to get TPTB to look at the preservation of the CTB and its conversion to a small aviation museum. Funds would not have been a problem, given the number of US personnel that must have passed through its doors.

But oh, no, the local residents increasingly saw it as their own private playpark, and I remember the Commission meetings usually dissolved into a NIMBY yah-boo session worthy of PMQs...

Worked there from 1986 to 2010, always knew it was to be demolished by BAA after we moved over to the abomination at the end of Pier 7 but it still came as a bit of a shock when I saw the photos in the press last week. Many happy memories of working there and the characters. When the outfield was relaid at Lords I bought a square of the turf and it became hallowed ground in my garden, I even took it with me when I relocated, wonder if I could have a brick as a memento ? ......................I'll get me coat :8

Not the most pleasant place to work. The view from the canteen was guaranteed to get a cycle off to a bad start; as was the view of couples having knee-tremblers over the road from the Ops Room at night.
Got on OK with most of the people, with a couple of exceptions

Not pleasant? Blimey, you were there at the wrong time mate!