post office revolving restaurant as film location - Page 2 - Britmovie - British Film Forum

Britmovie - British Film Forum Britmovie - British Film Forum Britmovie - British Film Forum
Home Page Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

 »» post office revolving restaurant as film location
 »   Britmovie - British Film Forum » Lobby » Ask a Film Question

Notices
Welcome to the Britmovie forums.

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, Join our community today!!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

Ask a Film Question Have a nostalgic or burning question? Somebody here might be able to clear your mind.


Reply
Page 2 of 2 < 1 2
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-02-2008, 05:09 PM
  post #16
Moor Larkin is passing the time
Senior Member
 
Moor Larkin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: North West Frontier
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,686
Country:
iTrader: (0)
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Crook View Post
It was a good example of and symbol for Harold Wilson's "White heat of technology" (he opened it) and the optimism of the time when huge advances were being made quite quickly and where it was though that just about anything was possible.
Except it never worked properlyso far as I remember it.............


Moor Larkin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-02-2008, 05:33 PM
  post #17
Steve Crook is cheeky
Moderator
 
Steve Crook's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: London
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,804
My Mood:
Country:
iTrader: (1)
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by Moor Larkin View Post
Except it never worked properlyso far as I remember it.............

It worked very well as a revolving restaurant from when it opened in 1961 - until the IRA bomb in 1971 when it was thought better to close it because it was such an obvious target and would be difficult to evacuate safely.

It's still in use as a communications centre.

Steve
Steve Crook is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-02-2008, 03:55 AM
  post #18
Anthony McKay has no status.
Senior Member
 
Anthony McKay's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 205
Country:
iTrader: (0)
Default
I remember turning up with my parents on a rare trip to London to go up the tower only to find it had been 'closed to the public until further notice' - 1971! doesn't time fly.

It always struck me that there was no will to re-open the tower to the public - perhaps there was fundamental flaw with the concept of the Tower as a tourist attraction.
Anthony McKay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-02-2008, 05:36 AM
  post #19
Steve Crook is cheeky
Moderator
 
Steve Crook's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: London
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,804
My Mood:
Country:
iTrader: (1)
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony McKay View Post
I remember turning up with my parents on a rare trip to London to go up the tower only to find it had been 'closed to the public until further notice' - 1971! doesn't time fly.

It always struck me that there was no will to re-open the tower to the public - perhaps there was fundamental flaw with the concept of the Tower as a tourist attraction.
Yes, it's not in the most salubrious part of town

Steve
Steve Crook is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-02-2008, 08:54 AM
  post #20
Moor Larkin is passing the time
Senior Member
 
Moor Larkin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: North West Frontier
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,686
Country:
iTrader: (0)
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Crook View Post
It worked very well as a revolving restaurant from when it opened in 1961 - until the IRA bomb in 1971 when it was thought better to close it because it was such an obvious target and would be difficult to evacuate safely.
Quite right.
The Sixties

I was evidently confusing it with the Scouse version:
The tower is simply awful. When it was first built, a revolving restaurant was put at the top. However, it was so expensive for those days that nobody could afford to go and it closed shortly afterwards.
My Liverpool wonders and blunders with Roger McGough - Building

although to be fair, that sounds as if it worked okay so far as the engineering went.
Moor Larkin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-02-2008, 09:01 AM
  post #21
batman is little big horn
Chief Member
 
batman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Norwich
Gender: Male
Posts: 20,123
My Mood:
Country:
iTrader: (13)
Default


This tower in Gt Yarmouth used to be a revolving resturant at the top ..... it was closed in the late 80s and the building underneath is now a shopping centre. I'm not sure about the revolving bit but part of the complex has now been restored as a night club, like it was in the 70s. I saw Slade and Gary Glitter there.
"Boom boom a baby .... Banham Zoo .... Banana pants! Hahahaha"
batman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-02-2008, 08:27 PM
  post #22
glyn horton is trying to be optimistic
Senior Member
 
glyn horton's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: newport
Posts: 166
Country:
iTrader: (0)
Default
I seem to remember that there is another episode of The Goodies where they are eating in the revolving restaurant which spins faster and faster, with food and trolleys flying everywhere. Think it might be in the 'Roots' episode but I might be wrong.
glyn horton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-02-2008, 11:57 PM
  post #23
rskershaw is taking up ballroom dancing in order to be newsworthy.
Senior Member
 
rskershaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Bolton
Gender: Male
Posts: 344
My Mood:
Country:
iTrader: (0)
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by glyn horton View Post
I seem to remember that there is another episode of The Goodies where they are eating in the revolving restaurant which spins faster and faster, with food and trolleys flying everywhere. Think it might be in the 'Roots' episode but I might be wrong.
Ah yes, it was the Goodies.
For some reason I thought it was Morecambe and Wise!
rskershaw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-02-2008, 02:23 AM
  post #24
asiamiles has no status.
Senior Member
 
asiamiles's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Asia
Posts: 131
Country:
iTrader: (3)
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by julian_craster View Post
also see the LOOK AT LIFE DVD collection 'Swinging London' for a short film on the PO Tower....
Would you recommend this DVD? Back in the day most shorts were an annoyance that had to be endured along with the current "Pearl & Dean" collection ("What an easy way to turn your scrap into money" is the phrase I remember most, er, fondly), but this sounds quite appealing.
asiamiles is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23-02-2008, 01:11 AM
  post #25
Cooper S has no status.
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Timewarp Towers
Posts: 109
Country:
iTrader: (0)
Default
Definitely worth getting. Some fantastic films about London in the 60s, great photography.

Was lucky enough to visit the viewing gallery sometime in the late 60s, and have a groovy green plastic souvenir model of the tower from that time. BTW, a miniature of the tower features in the futuristic city complex used in the Roberta Leigh puppet series Space Patrol !
'I've only got one spare'

'Well, borrow one !'
Cooper S is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28-02-2008, 08:44 AM
  post #26
Gazza is back to some sort of normality
Senior Member
 
Gazza's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: London
Gender: Male
Posts: 438
Country:
iTrader: (3)
Default
The view from my front room

Gazza is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28-02-2008, 09:54 AM
  post #27
julian_craster has no status.
Senior Member
 
julian_craster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Isle of Foula, UK
Posts: 1,944
Country:
iTrader: (0)
Default
You should get very good tv reception from there......
julian_craster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28-02-2008, 10:38 AM
  post #28
Moor Larkin is passing the time
Senior Member
 
Moor Larkin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: North West Frontier
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,686
Country:
iTrader: (0)
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazza View Post
The view from my front room

Haven't you been warned about wild internet house parties?
Moor Larkin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2008, 04:04 PM
  post #29
PaulPlowman has no status.
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Manchester
Posts: 109
Country:
iTrader: (0)
Default
Are there any working revolving restaurants left in the UK? I'd love to visit one!

:)
<- Insert witty comment here ->
ukonscreen.com
PaulPlowman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-03-2008, 05:47 AM
  post #30
tonyb has no status.
Junior Member
 
tonyb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: essex
Posts: 22
Country:
iTrader: (0)
Default
i recall the tower as a teenager who had just left school (1962) around 1963/64
for a short time i worked in the same st as p.o. tower at a firm called RADIOSPARES (howland st/ fitzroy st?) where around 80% of the employees were female...what went on in dinner breaks certainly opened my eyes up!!............................... if only i stayed on !!!!!!!!!!!!!
"MR GRIMSDALE"-----" they`re at it again"
tonyb is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 2 of 2 < 1 2


« Previous Thread | Next Thread »
Thread Tools
Display Modes
Linear Mode Linear Mode

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On
Forum Jump

All times are GMT. The time now is 11:50 AM.
SEO by vBSEO 3.2.0 ©2008, Crawlability, Inc.
 Copyright © 1998-2008 BritMovie