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Wednesday, March 24, 2004 12:45 GMT
Tricorn Centre
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Tricorn Centre
The Tricorn Centre
tiny Portsmouth's Tricorn Shopping Centre is finally biting the dust. The concrete landmark is seen by some as a monstrosity of 60s architecture and loved by others as an icon of the city.
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video Freddy Rostand reports on the demolition of the Tricorn

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The Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth was built in the mid-60s on a wave of optimism. In 1967 it won a Civic Trust award for "exciting visual compsition".

Owen Luder, Architect for the E. Alec Colman Group of Companies designed it as Portsmouth's "Kasbah Centre", or a "Market-In-The-Sky". There was ground level shopping grouped around a central square with 35 shop units and parking for 400 cars.

The Tricorn in the 60s
But the following year it was voted Britian's fourth ugliest building in a poll of 500 designers. For the next four decades, the concrete shopping centre was dogged with such an image.

The development also included eight flats but the design was poor - some had windows obscured, the kitchens were cramped and there were problems with the underfloor heating. The flats were boarded up by 1979.

GalleryClick through our gallery of pictures of the Tricorn Centre

The building topped a 2001 poll by Radio 4's Today programme to find Britain's most hated building, with one listener describing it as "another 1960s consumer rat-maze". Decay, vandalism and graffiti made it an eyesore in many people's eyes.

Cruncher
'The Cruncher' starts work
Earlier this year the Department of Culture, Media and Sport decided most people wanted it torn down and refused to give it Listed Building status, leaving the way clear for its demolition as part of a re-development plan for the area.

However the building did have its fans. The Portsmouth Society had wanted to get the building listed and restored as a national architectural treasure.


video Freddy Rostand reports on the demolition of the Tricorn

Portsmouth resident Stuart Hamilton won a council competition to start the 100 tonne 'Cruncher' bulldozer demolishing the city's notorious landmark.

The start of the 拢2m demolition work was accompanied by a rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture.

The demolition will take about 10 months with the eventual redevelopment of the area due to be completed in 2009.

What do you think about the demolition of the Tricorn Centre? Add your comment

Joe osborne UK
Tricon centre isnt as great as gateshead car park

Joe osborne Uk
Gateshead muiltistory car park will remind you of the tricorn centre in potsmouth

yashwanth
I need iot more information about demolision of structure in general.I am basically a civil engg student.Thanking you.

Bob Soton
Like all things in portsmouth should be replaced with hamsters

Mike, San Diego
It might of been a bit ugly, but at least it had some character.

Peter, Berkshire
As a student in Portsmouth in the early 70s, I always found the Tricorn to be an oppressive and dingy environment. I hated going into the place, and never felt safe - always looking over my shoulder. Good ridance!

Paul and Jo, Chesterfield
We passed by yesterday and saw that the Tricorn had been completely razed to the ground. We now need never visit Portsmouth again. In respose to an earlier question, it was Gateshead carpark that featured in the film "Get Carter."

HENRY CSP
I visited the tricorn centre when it was being demolished. My sister picked up a piece of concrete which I now have as a souvenir and I now own a bit of the Tricorn lets just hope the gateshead carpark gets saved.

Dave Havant
My girlfriend claims the Tricorn was used as a location in the film "Get Carter." Did she dream this?

Joe Osborne UK
the tricorn centre has a great succesfull Building

henry
the tricorn demolition should be stoped now

Richard,Pompey
It has now gone so that's that (apart from the foundations!) I am relieved the replacement will be at least one good shop but PLEASE no more night clubs or "trendy" bars.This city already has a severe alchohol problem. There is still one problem,the fact that caused the Tricorn to fail-the fact it is isolated from the main shopping drag.

David, Dorset.
All the negative comments about the tricorn usually refer to it being in a poor state of repair, and generally derelict. This is not the fault of the architect, or the Brutalist architecture, but the short-sightedness of Portsmouth Council. Other Brutalist buildings such as Trellick tower, The Barbican and Keeling House are now extremely sought after. With a little effort the tricorn could have been a monument to brutalism. It was striking, awe inspiring and is now an utter waste of money, time, resources and effort. What an utterly throw-away society we live in.

Harriet, I used to live in Portsmouth but now, Dev
I used to drive past it everyday on the way to school. I kind of miss it but it had to go.

Mark from Guildford
The Tricorn was an outstanding piece of architecture that should have been saved before the council destroys any character left in the city. I grew up around the Tricorn and if it had been kept as the designer intended and invested in by the council it would still be standing as a fantastic monument to Brutalist Architecture.

Don, Isle of Wight
I shall wait to see what replaces it before making a judgement. It is a gateway site and should therefore be replaced by a flagship project. If it is replaced by architecture similar to the cascades, we have lost an important example of modernist architecture, and replaced it with apologetic, economy-driven design. Portsmouth is one of the worst cities I have seen in terms of architecture. The Tricorn may have aged, but at least it was interesting.

Gareth Bevan, Manchester
We're in danger of pretending the sixties never happened if we continue to demolish buildings like this.

david
Portsmouth is a dump with or without the Tricorn centre. You can change the landscape but not the people.

JHON BRADLEY CONFLICT DESERT STORM
IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAINTED BLUE THEN I WOULD HAVE LIKED IT

JAMES PETERSFIELD
THE SOONER IT GOES THE BETTER

Shaun in Luton
Hoorah! Next the Brunswick Centre, Barbican, South Bank, Trellick Tower and finally the Luton Arndale!

Jonathan j in denmead
i think its cool that its coming down and eventualy blown up, but what wories me is it was painted and it failed. will the same fate happen to the spinnaker tower

dan stallard,portsmouth
i think it should of stay

henry allum
should be srtoped emedatly

mike. IOW
loved the tricorn centre, whenever we saw it as kids we knew we were going on holiday!

Rich M again
1)"Tricorn down-Portsmouth up" logo,well the Tricorn is 75% down but Portsmouth is getting worse.The council should start looking at the crime levels before they worry about more shops... 2)If the tower is anything to go by the demolition and replacement will be overbudget with us locals footing the bill....again.

d, southampton
good ridance

alan mountford southampton
as the tricorn centre must have been hailed a success in its day, against a background of sane minded people, so you now have the spinacre tower - a joke made out of concrete that in time to come will just be a blot on the landscape.

alan mountford southampton
when I first visited Portsmouth I could not understand who could have built such a concrete monstrocity and what was it supposed to be. I was amazed when informed it was a shopping centre. Now that it is almost gone, the area looks far better, and may it remain so. A decision, for once, in the right direction.

betty
I am glad its going its the biggest eye sore ever and we don't need ugly buildings like that around, get rid of it quicker!!!

Paul Trevellick Burlington CANADA
I can't believe it has taken this long to get rid of that bloody eyesore. I used to work just down the road from it. The Charlet St barrow boys were prettier.

Rich M
All the council want is another Gunwharf,overpriced,no character and a magnet for drinkers who make the rest of our lives hell.There will be no more small traders either. I do not believe the place could not have been modernised with the will.

Michael, USA
I grew up with it, and now that I'm not there they tear it down! Still, it looked like a big grey turd, so the skyline will look better without it.

tim hoolahan, 15, petersfield
as a regular visitor to portsmouth, i understand many of the views posted. i'd like to say that when it was built, the tricorn was a massive step forward in construction and a tribute to what could be done with concrete. that was then. now it is an ugly blotch on the city. talk of re-development? it would have to come down anyway, concrete cancer had made in unstable. was great in it's time... but it's time has come and gone.

paul nigel payne whitley bay tyne and wear
glad to see it go. it was a filthy smelly rat infested dump way back in the 1970's when i was a young sailor. my wife who comes from portsmouth agrees also.

Claire Bowles
It should have come down many years ago.Vandalism graffiti and lack of maintainence made it beyond repair.It may have had its good days but that is long gone.

Karl Allen, Portsmouth
Some of the people who have posted there comments here feel is the fault of some short sighted individuals from the Portsmouth council who are responsible for pulling down the Tricorn, well having lived in Portsmouth all my life I feel that the vast majority of the people who live and have visited Portsmouth, absolutely hate the place. The Tricorn is nothing but a haven for Muggers and rapists, and if some people think it is a unique landmark they are certainly right, but that does not justify keeping it or restoring it. I can't understand how anyone can want such a disgusting concrete monstrosity to be kept. What is happening to our society if people think that a huge lump of concrete is attractive.

Dave, Southampton
When I saw the article on "Restoration" about the Tricorn, I could certainly see the case for saving it. But equally, they pointed out that it had never fulfilled its original purpose. Ultimately, the problem with the Tricorn is that it's in the wrong place. It's simply illogical to allow a large derelict building in such a prime position, when there are plenty of similar buildings that can be "saved" without being detremental to their immediate environment.

robbie
it took it's time comming down..

claire portsmouth
what are you mad. i have listen to all your stupid comments on how it should be saved,people that say that it should be saved all i can and have to say to you is get a life!!i cant believe that this building can mean so much to poeple it is a pile of concrete and a ugly one at that.it time to move on and get with the progress of time, where shopping is a money market and its also fun. you tell me really whats fun about that eyesore???

Brian Harnett Melbourne Australia
Borne in Southampton and now living in Australia, my memories of the Tricorn was an eyesore, im sure lots of locals will be glad to see it go, hopefully whatever is built will be much better on the eye.

Dave Williams Isle of Wight
i think it is a shame that such a unique building is being lost, still i have wanderd around it many times in the past few months, (first visit was 3 months before the demolition stareted and last visit was the 5th june)on all these visits i have explored the interiors of the flats and other buildings inside the tricorn

John Horne
I am glad to see it go, but I do have memories of shopping in the tricorn and having my first driving lesson on the car park top floor and shooping at the chinnese shop that use to be there back in the late 80's, anyway Its good to have some pics to remember this place, I wished though someone took pictures of the inside, so I could see what it was like in the inside of the building, anyway I am glad to see it go, I hope they put something there that's nice. anyway I do respect others who like the tricorn and who didn't.

Claire, Waterlooville
Why keep the Tricorn?What use is it in the state it is in? No way can you restore it.Just look at it. Crumbling away without the help of demolition Cruncher. This demolition should have started since it became derelict.

Kat, leicester
After having lived for years in Portsmouth, I am extreamly happy to see the UK's ugliest building being torn down. It has been an eyesore since it was emptied years ago, not only that there have also been a number of suicides from the building. I am sure many people will be happy to see the end of the Tricorn

Tomas Deane - Portsmouth
as a media student at highbury college and doing a formal study on the tricorn as part of project, i have to say it is one of the most vile and digusting buildings to have ever been built!

Rich T, Portsmouth
I moved to Portsmouth 4 years ago and was instantly grabbed by the Tricorn; it's one of the most aesthetically intriguing buildings Ive seen anywhere - certainly more ingenious than anything else in the city, and to tear it down simply to appease a media-led hate campaign seems brutish to the extreme

Mark - Surrey
As an 'outsider', but a fairly frequent visitor to the area, or at least passing through Portsmouth on the way to the Isle of Wight, I believe that city will be a better place without this 1960's monstrosity. 60's architecture was appalling and The Tricorn is one of the worst examples. The harbour area looks very good now, so hopefully the demolition of this pile of concrete will help the city centre to catch up in being a more desirable place to visit.

lee boscombe
If it was that much of an eyesore it should've been preserved for future generations to decide. I drove past it once it made an impression unlike so much of the dull stuff that's built today

Amy Cawte, formerly of Portsmouth
well well, it's about time they tore the flippin thing down...ever since i remember they have been saying they were going to do it and they never did! For goodness sake people, can't you see how much of an eyesore this is? i cannot believe the amount to 'there's nothing wrong with it' comments on here...are you mad?! Surely anything they build on the site will be better...even if it is just a pile of bricks and some concrete...

Tim Kelly, Portsmouth
I can't believe the majority of the comments on this page! The building was a hideous eye-sore that was ridden with concrete cancer which resulted in large parts having already 'dropped off'!! The building was a muggers paradise and could never match the open shopping centres that people like and feel safe walking around. To keep this building would have kept Portsmouth as a 'second best' regional shopping centre when compared with our neighbours in Southampton. As a city, Portsmouth contains a lot of great historical landmarks - the Tricorn was not and never would be one of them. Good riddance!

Barry
No it's not a shame - it was an eyesore, ill thought out, dangerous in terms of alleys and the layout and there would have been no way to change it from a qhastly building to something lovely and modern. You are all living in a dream world if you think it was politically motivated. It was financially motivated. Portsmouth is a dump at the best of times so they need to make it appealing to new investors and customers.

Arthur T. Flowers - Hampshire
I think it's a disgrace that The Tricorn is being demolished. Not only is it a terrible waste of what could modernised and made into a unique and exciting structure but it is the ONLY example of this type of architecture on this scale and it should be preserved as it's exciting, unique and dramtic architecture. It certainly grabs people's attentions and it's a local landmark. What will replace it will probably be a load of bland and boring 'metal shed' warehouse units that are instantly forgettable.

Robin, previously of Portsmouth
Seems a bit of a shame - no longer can Portsmouth claim to have The Ugliest Building in Britain. I guess it will be replaced with a bland shopping complex like any other city...

bob marley,heaven
the tricorn was a rubbish sculpture and should be torn down

Fred Neale, Portsmouth
I think it is such a short sighted politically motivated decision to demolish this individual building. If the 拢2million demolision costs went to ovverhaul the structure then I think we could have kept a fantastic building that could help Portsmouth to stand out from the rest. Even better would be to use a small portion of the rebuilding costs to further develop the site as a centre for the people, harnessing creative industries, extreme sports and leisure together with retail and food outlets. It really could have continued to live. I shall mourn it's passing, and will never forgive the small minded council and councillors for their self interest in this site. It can only be surpassed by the Tower debacle, and I am expecting the crusher to move on down to the tower on completion of demolision of the Tricorn! Some hope!

Sonia, Portsmouth
its a shame - it looked a bit pants but could have done it up




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