Garrick House disappears from sight

The remains of Garrick House in the centre of Hereford. Pic courtesy Hereford Futures The remains of Garrick House in the centre of Hereford. Pic courtesy Hereford Futures

THIS impressive shot shows the final remnants of Hereford’s Garrick House which has been demolished over the past fortnight.

The former council office on the corner of Widemarsh Street and Newmarket Street was the final building to be taken down to make way for the multi-million pound Old Livestock Market (OLM) development.

Construction work is due to begin on the project in the coming weeks.

Once completed, in Easter next year, it will boast a Debenhams department store, Waitrose, multi-screen cinema and a number of High Street stores and restaurants.

Comments(20)

mizza21 says...
9:46am Thu 31 Jan 13

Garrick house you won't be missed.
Upon your walls the drunk have pi$$3d
Inside nowt was done with haste
Except the peoples money to waste

Keates

silentbull says...
10:56am Thu 31 Jan 13

Hereford sadly has been stuck in the past for so long that the city will need 'More' done to it to get it back to the beautiful city it once was!!!
Previous councils have just allowed this once beautiful city to crumble

MRDANDO100 says...
11:00am Thu 31 Jan 13

nice to see it go but, photo is way out of date and, where are the lovely old trees, no one complained when they got the axe two weeks ago

Ubique5740 says...
11:30am Thu 31 Jan 13

Mizza21, Classic - so true.

William Rudd says...
1:22pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Yep,seen better and up to date demolition pictures on Hereford cattle market development facebook page.

William Rudd says...
1:30pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Here you go

https://www.facebook
.com/esgpics?ref=hl

Herefordian07 says...
1:49pm Thu 31 Jan 13

The council wouldn't weep over a few trees considering how they treat us human beings in their hell bent attempt to make this abomination ESG look like every other town in Britain. Hereford is losing it's character and identity, such a shame.

William Rudd says...
2:25pm Thu 31 Jan 13

It's a City.Always has been.

Herefordian07 says...
3:22pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Yes William I know it's a City, generations of my family have lived here and loved the place, however my comment stands, traditionally Hereford has always kept the town like feel about it and been friendly and cosy, unfortunately Hereford doesn't have "City" money like the surrounding Cities, but thank you for your interest.

wyesider says...
3:35pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Strange that we still have - High Town. Town/city - whatever word we use it is still a great shame to see some unwelcome changes, but perhaps our forefathers felt the same? Herefordian07 makes a very sage comment about the cosy, friendly feel of Hereford. I think it still holds true.
Hereford's use of the term city stems from "ancient prescriptive usage", which basically means from time immemorial. The Statute of Westminster(1275) defined this as the time before the reign of Richard I (1189). The Court of Chivalry often used the time before 1066 as its defining point.
If anybody has any reference to point to a specific date concerning Hereford's 'city' status, I would be most interested to read this.

megilleland says...
4:34pm Thu 31 Jan 13

http://www.herefordc
itycouncil.gov.uk/hi
story/municipal-hist
ory/charters/
Information here on the City Council's website tracing the history of its charters. No specific date mentioned when the title city was first bestowed.

wyesider says...
6:15pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Thank you for the information, megilleland. Much appreciated to have a response.
It seems that the website runs along the same lines as the book on Hereford's Charters by E.M. Jancey, who was the senior achivist at the Hereford Record Office, when I was doing some research back in the early 1970s.
Perhaps, I shall have to be satisfied that 'time immemorial' means that a specific date is almost impossible to isolate.

Biomech says...
7:40pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Far be it for me to be the pessimistic one - but want this all (photo) news last week?

I welcome the development, but not the chaos it will cause due to inadequate underlying infrastructure. However, if it is ACTUALLY complete by easter next year, I will take my hat off to them. Despite everything starting years and years later than advertised, getting it COMPLETE by easter will show some balls

Grid Knocker says...
7:54am Fri 1 Feb 13

The excellent high-level picture you published reveals something that the council has been keen to keep schtum about since the demolition men moved in. Note the very domestic scale of the brick building, with its rounded-top dormers? It seems that when Garrick House was first proposed, its designers assured the council that its construction and internal layout would be such that, should it no longer be needed as offices, it could readily and inexpensively be converted into flats. So the numpties on the council have just sanctioned the demolition of a large block of flats!

Housing crisis? What housing crisis?

dippyhippy says...
4:08pm Fri 1 Feb 13

I have probably got this wrong,but is it not just "phase one" that will be completed by next Easter? If anybody knows let me know. It just rings a bell,that this scheme is to be completed in 4 phases.

Biomech says...
4:43pm Fri 1 Feb 13

No doubt that's all part of the spin. When they've put down the foundations for 1/4 of it by Easter, they will tell us that was the plan and it's all on schedule.

From what I understand, phase 1 is the commerical old market development that Hereford Futures - on it's website - states is due for completion 2014.

The other phases relate to other parts of Herefords development such as the link road, flood systems etc.

That said, according to Hereford Futures very own "Masterplan", the phases (page 35), started in 2009 and will end with the opening of the retail sector in year 5 (2014)

http://www.herefordf
utures.co.uk/Content
/files/Hereford_Futu
res_Master_Plan.pdf

dippyhippy says...
6:48pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Cheers Biomech,very useful!

fordshire77 says...
8:46am Mon 4 Feb 13

I was (for my sins) shopping in Hereford on Sunday afternoon when I noticed that some joker had put on the side of the boarding (where Garrick House use to be) that great Herefordshire quote "HEREford YOU CAN SHOP!" I wonder what genius thought “HERE we can waste some MORE money!!!!”

William Rudd says...
5:23pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Who's this 'we' Fordshire?You ain't paying for the development

billy wizz says...
10:15am Wed 6 Feb 13

dear william or isit andrew !!! belive me we are all paying for this !!!

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