A Quick Stroll Around the University of Plymouth - 18th December 2005
The morning after the Student Reunion, Nosher wakes up with a start at nearly midday, realising that there's only 15 minutes before I'm meant to be checking out of the hotel. After a quick exit, and forgoing plans to document the urban decay of Union Street, I head back to the university (former Plymouth Polytechnic, yay) for a look round - as is my wont every time I come back to Plymouth. Every visit reveals more building, and less and less of the original fabric remains (although quite a bit of it has merely had a facelift). There's also the sad remains of Kirkby Stores, on Kirky Place, near the James Street Vaults: in the late 80s, student magazine "Fly" had its offices a few doors up, and it provided a handy source of pasties, crisps and cans of pop (everything for a balanced diet). Also, when I used to work in the bar on Sunday mornings (stocking up, cellaring, etc - an early start but a privileged job) it would be the first mission of the day to head over to Kirkby Stores for enough rounds of legendary bacon sandwiches to feed all the bar staff. Fly moved its offices into the SU in the 90s, and there was obviously no-longer enough demand and the place closed down. Anyway, the rest of these photos comprise a short circular walk around the main city campus. It's winter, nearly Christmas, and there aren't many students about...
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These are cropped thumbnails. Click on an image to view the full photograph.
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View from the Copthorne Hotel over North Cross roundabout: the YMCA in the foreground, and the GTB behind |
Now known as The Babbage Building (it was always the site of the mainframes), but formerly the GTB: General Teaching Block |
The Coburg Street Villas, seemingly untouched by the fervoured modernisation surrounding them |
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The re-skinned Engineering Block (right) and Science Block (back) |
Up the hill past Engineering and the GTB stairs |
Babbage/GTB entrance |
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Kirky Stores and the James Street Vaults. Somewhat tragically, the JSV now contains a Wimpy |
The sad fate of Kirkby Stores |
Bill posters free-for-all |
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A broken and exposed bulkhead light |
Looking up Kirkby Terrace: Fly's office was about half-way up on the right |
Kirkby Store's front door |
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Left to right: Maritime Block halls-of-res; Fitzroy Building (used to be Maritime Lecture Block); the Electron Microscopy Unit |
Back of the Students' Union, and the Science Block in the background |
What used to be the entrance to the LRC (Library) |
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The SU pyramid. The faint remains of an 80s advert for Nightline (a kind-of Students' Samaritans) can be seen on the glass |
Entrance to the SU: re-arranged but mostly the same (although extended to the right) |
The old Endsleigh Place road has all but disappeared. What were once several old buildings have been replaced by the huge Business Centre (right) |
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Another refugee from modernisation: the link building between Engineering and Science, which used to house Psychology and the staff common room |
Looking back up on the way back to the hotel |
The University of Plymouth logo on the GTB wall |
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