John Grindrod's full comments on Broadmarsh: "Broadmarsh comes at the end of a period of inner city shopping centre development, just before the boom in out-of-town malls and retail parks. Stylistically it had a kind of megastructural feeling, much like Manchester's pre-bomb Arndale or the old Birmingham Bull Ring. Such massive buildings can feel rather blank and fortress-like on the outside, as they are primarily designed to solve a problem inside. Broadmarsh's walls of brick are more reminiscent of interwar power stations like Battersea or Bankside than the US-style malls that had sprung up in the 1960s. By the late 1960s and early 1970s when Broadmarsh was planned and built there was a move away from creating spectacular modernist buildings (such as the Barbican, say, or the Nottingham Playhouse) and instead towards structures that are almost attempting to become invisible. Massive as Broadmarsh is, there are few attempts to make an architectural statement here. It's a style familiar to, say, the St John Centre in Leeds, buildings to be glimpsed from side-streets rather than encountered full-on. Broadmarsh is shy brutalism, the final version of the style which had once been so playful but by the early 1970s was rather more sober."

@thomasm1964

4 жыл бұрын

Nottsflix No it wasn’t. It was a dismal, claustrophobic and badly lit monstrosity of brick and concrete and the most arse about face one way system into the bus station one could possibly contrive.

Micheal my dear friend don't stop making these videos they're thoroughly enjoyable and a really humorous look into the history of our city. All three have been brilliant will look forward to your next video.

I've thoroughly enjoyed your triology. You channel is a little gem. The loss of Drury Hill makes me rather angry and potentially it could have been competition for The Shambles or Steep Hill in Lincoln. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on the regeneration of the "castle'. I've been watching progress from where I work on Maid Marian Way and I have a horrible feeling its going to suck big time. Keep up the excellent work. x

I grew up on old Nottingham, and left around the time the Black Boy was demolished, and remember some of those streets I now find are long gone. Thanks for documenting these historical events.

I am so glad that they have now demolished this concrete monstrosity.

I passed by this morning and was surprised how much space this concrete behemoth took up now what can be seen during the demolition

Its crazy to think that now, as they are redoing Broad Marsh, they have uncovered Drury Hill and there had been a petition to bring it back.

😂😂😂 Watch the speech bubbles carefully, they’re hilarious!

Bread & Lard Islander by birth, currently 15miles down the road in Lufbra. When at school in W.B. in the late 60s I went, as part of a school project, to do some work on the caves before Broad Marsh was built. It was interesting and enjoyable. (B&LI = West Bridgford)

Such an epic end to the trilogy!!

Absolutely brilliant trilogy learned so much thanks guys

Brilliant, really enjoyed the trilogy. Keenly anticipating any future content.

...and now you walk down Lister Gate, most of the shops have closed, the doorways turned into camps by the homeless...

Excellent and fascinating work

Absolutely excellent as usual,

Thanks I’ve enjoyed this immensely

I hope you'll make more of these. Keep it coming😀

Excellent - well made and humourous slice of history

Really enjoyed all your vids about Notts. Cheers, duck!

this whole series was great. looking forward to whatever comes next :)

This is fabulous, well done indeed.

Beautifully put together and thoroughly interesting. Thank you.

Really interesting stuff! Thanks for making videos about Nottingham. I look forward to more.

Great video, love your bit of psychogeography in the conclusion, and marshimus prime, or whatever you call them, regenerating at the end was amazing! Great work! Looking forward to more!

Great video.. very interesting and entertaining history on my home town

Absolutely fab :)

Hello Sweetie, I'm your dream come true. Love your videos. Basically, I worked in the Broadmarsh Centre for 13 years, from 1988-2000 at Forbidden Planet at 129 Middlewalk opposite the supposedly immortal Wimpy Bar (there was a later time when I worked at Gizmo in 2008 downstairs, but that's irrelevant). I have photos from that time, I have memories from that time, I even have documents. I started as a Saturday boy, then part-timer, then assisstant manager then manager in that place. "Oh Kirsty, we have so much sights to show you"...

@Nottsflix

4 жыл бұрын

Hey, thanks - glad you enjoyed them! If I ever decide to make this trilogy into a Broadmarsh Quartet (no plans as yet), I'll be in touch.

@Nottsflix

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Phil, I am now working on a 4th Broadmarsh video! What do you remember from your time working there? How did things change in terms of foot traffic 1988-2000? If you don't mind me using your photos (with credit of course), could you e-mail me at nottsflix@gmail.com ? Thanks again

@philtonge7522

3 жыл бұрын

@@Nottsflix Hey there! Yes, no problem. I'll send a tester e-mail in a bit. Remember what I said about the Broadmarsh re-development? "I'll believe it when I see it". Then they started the semi-demolition and I went, "Ah, bugger, proved wrong again". Then the centre owners went bust...then NCC went bust. Iswear that ground is cursed...

@Fireworks27

3 жыл бұрын

@@Nottsflix Hi I love these films, thank you so much for them. I was wondering if you’ve seen the Nottingham Green Quarter Facebook page, discussions about (hopefully) nice new plans for the Broadmarsh area? It’d be great if you’d like to join the conversation 👍🏼

@Nottsflix

3 жыл бұрын

@@Fireworks27 Hey, thanks so much! I'm already in the group and hope to have video out later in the year pushing for a Green Broadmarsh!

Interesting 👍🏻☺️ (and funny as well!)

Walking up Drury Hill with my Mam and Mamar (Mother Mother) was like a magic tour going back in time.

Really enjoyed these videos. As someone Nottingham born and bred, I learned so much about the city’s history and why we have so many ugly concrete monstrously ugly buildings. Oh and the Doctor Who clips are cool as well. Excellent stuff.

Great videos ....you should do some on narrow marsh and it’s crime ...👏👏👍Brilliant thou

Thanks I enjoyed the Broadmarsh Trilogy, what an eyesore and disaster as a shopping centre it was! At least I understand how, what and why, and hope it won't happen again! Keep making these entertaining, informative videos, there's plenty more of my home town I'd like to know more about (history was so boring at school!).

The "spaceships" were not part of the original design they were added as part of a mini-refurb in the mid 1980s.

Yep, I laughed, I cried, I had hope for the future, Like when the building became a giant transformer like thing powered by a flux capacitor , Outstanding. Happily threw a thumbs up to ya.

Such a great video series, been great to learn so much local history of my hometown. And enjoyed all the nerdy gags! The proesters at 13:40 - ngl I teared up a bit thinking about these women. We salute them!!

@Nottsflix

3 жыл бұрын

The protesters were such heroes. The Broadmarsh Saga will continue soon - I've almost finished Broadmarsh 4!

@quinterbeck

3 жыл бұрын

@@Nottsflix Amazing, I can't wait!

im nottingham born i really enjoyed that thankyou

I am hard-pressed to find excellent docu-videos about Nottingham's hustory on KZread such as this.

Such a great series, thanks so much for putting all of this together and well done guys for doing it so well! Having recently fallen down the rabbit hole myself, I never realised there's so much incredible history and interesting stories surrounding Nottingham. I love our little city! Subscribed, please keep up the good work! I really wish I could have seen Drury Hill before it was flattened. On a side note, does anyone think that Broadmarsh failed, at least in part, due to the extreme negative energy that resides in this area from when slums were there? I believe the extreme poverty and suffereing of people has left its mark, like the land is 'cursed', if you will. I've never liked that area of town.

@Nottsflix

4 жыл бұрын

Thankyou so much! I too wish I could've seen Drury Hill when it was still around. There is so much cool history in Nottingham - I have a big list of videos planned (the next one is in progress but has taken an obscenely long time to make because I chose a very difficult topic). I actually considered working in the idea of Broadmarsh being 'cursed' by the legacy of the slums when I was writing Part 2 - like the centre is haunted by the ghosts of the forgotten slum-dwellers, the disposable workforce of the industrial revolution upon whose ruined lives the modern world was built, with all its shopping and consumption. This didn't make it into the final video though because I thought it was a bit much :-P

Heard a rumour at the time that the alleyways staved off demolition for a short time so the filming of D.H Laurence's Sons and Lovers could be completed using them as 'background'.

And now it’s being pulled down. Yesssssssss!!!!!

A fantastic trilogy, I shall look forward to the fourth. A lot of hard work has gone into this. I have been in Broad Marsh today and work has started.

You must do one on what has replaced the hideious broadmarsh! Brilliant series so far

Despite the fascinating details revealed in this video, I feel that it entirely misses what for me was the most devastating impact upon the city of the Broad Marsh development. I was born at the beginning of the 1950s, and through much of the sixties, my journey to school had involved firstly travelling from Bilborough to the Market Square and then taking a bus from the square heading south along Arkwright Street in the direction of the Midland Station and Trent Bridge and thence on to my school located on the banks of the Trent. By the time I was 15 therefore, that journey south from the square to the river would be very well known to me as I joined the throngs of Forest supporters heading off from the square in the direction of the Forest ground. There was a sense of knowing where we were going as we took advantage of that wonderful radial structure of the city - south to the river along Arkwright Street, west to Derby along Derby Road, north to Mansfield along Mansfield Road - with the Market Square at the centre. Having not lived in any other city at that time, I had actually believed that all cities in England were designed in the same radial manner. What else would have made sense? By 1975 however, having been away at university for several years, I was shocked to discover a city now amputated of its main southern artery. Within less than five minutes of walking from the square in the direction of the river, one was suddenly confronted by the 'monstrous carbuncle' of the Broad Marsh Centre that lay in one's way. It appeared to have been built with the express purpose of stopping you in your tracks. There was no obvious way through it. And if you did manage to find your way to the other side, then you would find yourself having to negotiate the near 'urban motorway' of the Maid Marion Way extension, which firmly barred your way to the Midland Station and on to the south. Arkwright Street was gone. There was no longer any means to stroll down to Trent Bridge unless your wanted to traverse the featureless avenues of the Meadows redevelopment. I saw that Nottingham was no longer the Queen of the Midlands. The Corporation planners had had their way and destroyed our once beautiful city.

@Nottsflix

Жыл бұрын

Thankyou for this insightful comment

Love the history of this city ,it’s a shame Most of the buildings are not there anymore 😩

Given that the retail sector is in terminal decline, given the move to online shopping over the last few years, it wouldn't surprise me if the Broadmarshes days are numbered...

@Nottsflix

3 жыл бұрын

Prophetic!

Great watch, so much history. The 'futuristic' fake metalwork and missiles/arrows you allude to in this video was actually only added in the 90s around the time Allders moved in, so they can't even really be blamed much on the cold war... just pure desperation to try and make the frontages less austere, along with the sails and the wavy canopy. I have a full walkaround of Broadmarsh in 2018 if ever you need it, including an altercation with security where they used the same 'terrorist' bullshit that you had.

@Nottsflix

4 жыл бұрын

Thankyou so much! I wasn't entirely sure when the metalwork was added - I'd read that there was a redevelopment in the 80s and assumed it was then, the tail end of the Cold War. There was a description of brutalism as a mix between Space Age optimism and Cold War anxiety in one of the architecture books I read while researching this, that seemed to be perfectly represented by the Broadmarsh arrow/missile/rocket things. I may have put more thought into the symbolic meaning of that metalwork than the actual designers themselves :-P

I used to work at the argos store in broadmarsh when I was at university

Great videos thank you! I'd be interested to hear your opinion on the proposals for the areas redevelopment e.g. Nottingham green quarter proposal.

@Nottsflix

3 жыл бұрын

I'm working on a 4th Broadmarsh video!

@georgelogan1148

3 жыл бұрын

@@Nottsflix ah OK sounds good I'll look forward to it!

the arrows & steel were added 30 years ago to try and brighten the place up a bit

@Slate-writer

4 жыл бұрын

great video - but some of the voice-over accents... oh blimey !

@Slate-writer

4 жыл бұрын

fantastic research and a great laugh at the end - well done !

@Nottsflix

4 жыл бұрын

@@Slate-writer Thankyou! I'm very happy you enjoyed it. They had fun doing the accents, and it makes a change my voice all the way through :-P

Nottingham was once the queen of the midlands, now it is the Joker. nottingham once was a beautifull city with a lot of ammazing buildings which are now mostly gone, I remember driving down Drury Hill in my dads car when I was a teenager and thinking what a wonderfull street.now it is a city of shame and the people who did it should have been brought to account

Thank you for these videos. I'm a Nottingham lass who emigrated to New Zealand in 1983, not to get away from the demolition and endless concrete replacements, but for a better life for my family. I am interested in this particular video, but I feel a lot has been left out. What happened to the covered over bus station? I used to catch the bus to Clifton to see my then boyfriend from that bus station. Do you know about the novels that have been written about Nottingham in the days of the old Broad Marsh and Narrow Marsh, and the River Leen, called "Narrow Marsh" and Leen Times" by A R Dance? I"m looking forward to more videos of Nottingham.

@Nottsflix

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Kate, sorry for my very late reply! I'm very happy you enjoyed them. The big concrete bus station was demolished a few years ago as part of the redevelopment works around the area. It had already gone by the time I'd started making these videos - a new bus station has almost finished being built. I have seen the A R Dance novels for sale and do intend to read them eventually.

Is there any way back for Nottingham? Coventry perhaps? Or even Milton Keynes!!

What happened to that area was a crime! Who were the council members at time? Absolutely shameful Great video tho!

Broadmarsh Shopping Center, you can't polish a turd so their spending a fortune dipping it in glitter. Great film.

Fascinating. I was born in Nottingham in 1967 and moved to San Francisco in 1996 but I keep an eye on home from across the pond. I was not aware of "brutalism" (I just thought it was incompetent architects) and I wasn't aware folks fought so hard to maintain the historic buildings and places. Broadmarsh shopping center was and is an absolute aberration, an insult to the city.

Could you do a video on hangings in Nottingham and the gaol history to keep up with the dark side of the city

@Nottsflix

4 жыл бұрын

Good idea! I'll add it to my list!

@davidmarchant9386

4 жыл бұрын

@@Nottsflix yeah they did a couple of dissection in the court also after the hanging

This guy is Nottingham's Jay Foreman

@Nottsflix

4 жыл бұрын

Thankyou so much! I only discovered his videos after I'd made these, but they're definitely the sort of thing I was going for!

Are there any pictures of Broad March Shopping Centre shortly after it opened? I can't image the southern side looking like anything other than a back side.

@Nottsflix

4 жыл бұрын

I couldn't find any on a quick browse of PictureNottingham.co.uk. It is possible few people took a photo of it - it's not really the sort of thing you'd want a photograph of, especially when you're using film rather than a digital camera.

@me_fault

4 жыл бұрын

@@Nottsflix There's a couple here, it looks less messy without the iron decorations. However, it basically looks like a barrier with two little doors. www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/gallery/broadmarsh-centre-surrounding-area-1960s-2514678

This series was awesome. I wonder what you have to say about it in its current 2020 state that looks like the bombs have fallen again!

@Nottsflix

3 жыл бұрын

I will make a 4th Broadmarsh video once we actually know what's happening to it!

@khazxo1416

3 жыл бұрын

@@Nottsflix I guess you've got some footage of it. It looks awesome in a really brutal & ugly way! Im kinda loving it. Seems very apt given its history that it is now standing so angry looking and causing such an uproar in the local people. One of the reasons I fell in love with Nottingham and moved here 22 years ago as an art student is because of its patchwork of architecture, it was fascinating to find out why Nottingham came to look like it did. Thank you for your film 🎥

@khazxo1416

3 жыл бұрын

I'm loving the new builds that are going up now too, adding a third layer architecturally to the story of Nottingham

Michael, we need more Broadmarsh stuff, .. What does your latest unrelenting research reveal? Please tell us we need our fix! You cannot possibly spend too much time and do too much digging about all things Broadmarsh. Michael some of us were trying to save Berry Hill Park, Mansfield from being built on .. now it is a totally lost cause ... but in January if planning permission hasn't been granted .. i will have a couple of hundred quid .. to donate to you .. because i think you could make a very very very funny video about why it is such a good idea to build on park land, in front of a 1750's manor house, to be obscured from the park itself and also next to a 75 bed dementia/end of life care home .. when the ancient lawn could be the county's , maybe the worlds, largest, most beautiful dementia friendly garden .. no need to bother signing the petition as at the moment however many sign the politicians as you know are all absolutely crazy for property development and build anywhere and everywhere ... but have a look at the petition and see some of the updates .. 1 is titled .. 'Giving up makes the most sense!' .. seriously around 1200 have signed and they are probably the most decent and deserving with integrity .. if you have time have a look .. i might be able to get more money, i love your presentations, absolutely awesome, either way keep up the work .. we need more Broadmarsh! www.change.org/p/please-help-me-i-am-an-ancient-lawn-in-the-towns-finest-park-in-front-of-classic-architecture-20-metres-from-a-dementia-care-home-and-they-want-to-build-properties-on-top-of-me-i-desperately-need-help-to-become-fully-dementia-friendly-garden ... actually why not build a Broadmarsh .. you can't have too much grotesque ugly abominations , every area of outstanding natural beauty should have one!

@Nottsflix

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Robert, thank you so much! I'm very happy you enjoyed these videos - I loved reading your comments. Research has been harder during the pandemic with the local studies library being closed. I am, however, very excited about what I've got planned for Broadmarsh 4 - no spoilers though! I've never actually been to Mansfield, but next year I'll make a point of going to have a look at the park and see if I get any inspiration or ideas.

12. 27 he's not wrong. I would much prefer to have kept drury Hill and have it as an interactive museum of sorts instead of the crap concrete slab that is the broadmarsh. Same with the Vic centre

My great-grandfather The Rag-man - see Sillitoe's The Rag-man's Daughter, my great-aunt Flo - was Old Radford's gunman. Known as Sodom, all the vices ran wild & The Rag-man built up a monopoly on rags & paper, situated in a large Beeston warehouse. One of his daughters - there was an Italian link - married a dissolute aristocrat, related to John of Gaunt, Catherine Parr & - much later - Sir Henry Bruce, and he supplied beautiful girls for kings George V & VI and placed their unwanted offspring in Cliftonside, Beeston etc. All the papers from Clifton Hall 1935-1953 were removed & Nottingham newspaper archives touching on this activity are unobtainable.

broadmarsh shopping center is demolished to make way for modern buildings in its place

@Nottsflix

2 жыл бұрын

Yep, I brought the story of Broadmarsh up to the collapse of Intu in a follow up video: kzread.info/dash/bejne/lGh4urylf7q3qag.html

There sounds like some pretty sexy new voices in there. How can I employ them?

Thats not Minerva house

@Nottsflix

4 жыл бұрын

I'm sure I read somewhere that that building was called Minerva House, but now I can't seem to find any evidence for this. Might've been a Google Maps error that has since been fixed. Thanks for pointing it out!

broadmarsh current project is a joke knock it down and sew some grass seed

You are so wrong on your street names and buildings names

Get your facts right. your talking dribble. on all aspects

@dianaconnors4700

3 жыл бұрын

Obviously you know so much why don’t you do a documentary about Nottingham

@rezelkins

3 жыл бұрын

lived there for 40 years. I know that dump very well....