Bombed and bulldozed area becomes Guildhall Square
200212 REMEMBER WHEN REP: CO CAPTION: The civic offices under construction in the new-look Guildhall Square in 1973.
The 1970s saw the reconstruction of the Guildhall Square and surrounding roads in Portsmouth.
While some areas had been heavily bombed during the Second World War, other parts had to be cleared by bulldozers.
Here, in 1973, Guildhall Square became one large building site as work started on what would become the Civic Offices – the new home for Portsmouth City Council.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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Comments
There are 13 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
briandavies5165
Friday, February 24, 2012 at 04:30 PMAll of these comments have spurred me to have another look at the square, which I did today. I stood across the road, outside the railway station and realised there is another causalty in all of this. Where has the war memorial gone? I can tell you its' behind some god awful concrete buildings. One I think is a convenience store the other, which looks to be a disuesd pub or club. I remember as a boy standing and looking at the two stone machine gunners, one navy, one army. They "guarded" the enterance to the memorial and to me, looked pretty impressive. They too had an uninterupted view across the square. As i've said what a shame it's all hidden.
Graham Wheatley
Friday, February 24, 2012 at 09:29 AM'took' = 'to look'. My PC tends to freeze-up periodically while typing now (sigh). Good old MS updates, eh?
Graham Wheatley
Friday, February 24, 2012 at 09:25 AMPortsea Islander (5), actually, that's not a bad idea! A goodly number of both Council Officers and Councillors could then have an office overlooking Victoria park so that they would have a constant reminder that we have (but are gradually losing) green-space in the city. They'd also have took at the 'Needle' every day. --- Yes, transfer the contents of the Civic Offices into the old Zurich Building and then have the square revert to a Green.
Flying bull
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 03:42 PMWell said Gary O'Donnell I to enjoyed years of bombed out buildings
GaryO'Donnell
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 01:53 PMInterstingly, i was always told that Portsmouth was the only city never to recieve any funding from central government after the war; which is why, as a kid, I was still able to play in bombed out houses along Sydenham Terrace in the early 70's. I do agree that what the planners did back then was with very little foresight, because now we have a situation where the hub (the very thing they were trying to evoke) is cut off from the rest of the city it claims to represent. The Guildhall is a wonderful building albeit a slightly larger copy of Bolton Town Hall and it really does deserve to stand out and dominate the area around it. As it is, the council have allowed it to be dominated by the Civic Offices, the very thing designed to supposedly enhance it. I really believe that the whole strip, from The Mucky Duck, right the way through to the roundabout at the end of the Commercial Road precinct, needs a massive redesign. We must have the only town centre that closes up at 5.00 and is inhospitable to anyone apart from drunks and muggers.
Le Critique
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 11:14 PMIt took them long enough after the Germans had bombed it to rebuild. a good 25 to 30 years by my calculations. Maybe it will take that long to get the Northern Quarter built and I won't even start on about the Pompey Stadium!! Everything in this City takes an eternity to get sorted!!!!
Flying bull
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 10:00 PMWell thats 100% against any for?
Portsea Islander
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 09:55 PMI remember when my Nan came to visit me in Pompey. She grew up in Portsmouth during the Blitz and later moved in the late 1950's. Upon returning to Guildhall Square I'll never forget the look of disappointment on her face. She asked a nearby Council worker "Why did the build it like that?" referring to the Civic offices. The reply was "so it could reflect the Guildhall and make the Square a 'hub' for the city". The reply promptly silenced the Council employee; "Looked much more attractive when there was a bomb site there!"
Portsea Islander
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 09:51 PMGuildhall Square used to be an attractive, open space dominated by the inspiring Guildhall. Today it is a windy, enclosed, unattractive area which is dangerous at night. The Civic offices have made it appear ugly with the hideous, outdated buildings half-encircling it. We should demolish the Civic offices, move PCC into the empty sky-scraper on Stanhope Road and restore the Square to how it was!
bluelagoon
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 09:38 PMAll in all, it's a shame it was built. Time to knock it down again and restore the previous square? (with, as mentioned, a replica Verrecchia's).
norbertbleu
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 09:16 PM...and we lost Verrecchia's! Boo!
Flying bull
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 12:47 PMSadly I have to agree with Briandavies5165 The Guildhall square is a cold windy place and nothing to attract the public to apart from drunk students and a big TV thats it!
briandavies5165
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 09:52 AMIt's certainly not as impressive as it was before.. The planners should have done better. What was a lovely open expanse that showed The Guildhall in all it's glory is now a closed in area. The Guildhall is hidden from view,with a carbuncle of a civic building opposite. The surrounding area, Guildhall walk etc is pretty seedy. Shame.
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