The Old Git Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 The pool looks a bit sorry now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcCann Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 The pool looks a bit sorry now Drove past and had a look yesterday. That top board doesnt look half as high and scary as it did when I was a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deejay Denzel Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 I found another here, one I havent seen before. http://www.cookeonfire.com/project22.htm There's also a guy here writing a book about it - he may be interested in those plans you've got... http://www.gees.bham.ac.uk/people/index.as...=156#summerland I have been helping this guy out for over a year with his project! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pragmatopian Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I'd love to have seen the Aquadrome empty - that place was truly scary! It must be over 20 years ago now, but I can still remember having the crap scared out of me by a nightmare of being locked in at the Aquadrome at night when the place was empty. I'm not quite sure what made it so sinister. Also, is it just that I was only a little kid at the time, or was the main pool really deep at the deep end? I remember swimming down to the bottom and taking what seemed like an age to get to the surface again. None of the pools I've been in since seemed anywhere near as deep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deejay Denzel Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I'd love to have seen the Aquadrome empty - that place was truly scary! It must be over 20 years ago now, but I can still remember having the crap scared out of me by a nightmare of being locked in at the Aquadrome at night when the place was empty. I'm not quite sure what made it so sinister. Also, is it just that I was only a little kid at the time, or was the main pool really deep at the deep end? I remember swimming down to the bottom and taking what seemed like an age to get to the surface again. None of the pools I've been in since seemed anywhere near as deep. I had been in the aquadrome many times at night, used to work there and wander through from the derby bar, it was just used for storage once it shut. they should have kept it going, much prefered that to the NSC pool. Used to love the Thursday? night sessions with the fast and slow lane, nice way to do loads of lengths without being bombed on. Amazing how smaller the aquadrome felt when walking round the pool in trainers as upposed to bare feet. made all the difference. lots of scary noises round summerland at night, when you know it was just you and the security in there. I have a friend who was on security while they were starting to demolish it and he said he was sure he heard people every night but never found anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkly things make me smile Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Drove past it today and was shocked. I used to love it in there especially in the play area when they had the rocket thing that went around it (but always broke whenever it was used). I learnt to swim in the pool. Its so sad. but got told today that about 3 people died in there (excluding the fire) from drowning or getting hit by a light that fell . Is that true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxmaid Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I have a couple of postcards of the pre- fire Summerland..... one of the outside and one inside..... I don't have a scanner and I am working tomo til late, so if someone pms me (plz) I will go to the library and scan them on Tues..... if I allowed to put postcards up?? (re copyright???) I also have an old postcard of the baths, and change of subject slightly...... also got a postcard of the outdoor pool at the Majestic. Have read up abit about the book that guy is writing on the fire........... I found his research very moving he even managed to get a list of all the victims..... I think the youngest was aged 8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hboy Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I have very fond memories of the place as a kid (even the original building which seemed like something out of Space 1999 when built) but lets face it, its largely made from cancerous reinforced concrete, steel and asbestos so its going to come down quick. Whoever agreed to put up a reinforced concrete building about 10 feet from the Irish sea must have guessed it would be lucky to survive 20 years because it had more salt water hitting it than a Steam Packet Ferry, so no wonder it rotted from the inside out in record time. It must be the shodiest pre fab building ever put up on the Island (possibly excepting Victory House), and yet it was so of its time that its a real shame to see it come down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inspector Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I too worked at the pool and had the dubious honour of enforcing an extended shutdown after I dropped a tube light into the pool which consequently smashed into a million pieces! Luckily, the pool was in the process of being refilled as it was during one of the shutdowns but it remained shut for another week!! Happy days....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Git Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 Whoever agreed to put up a reinforced concrete building about 10 feet from the Irish sea must have guessed it would be lucky to survive 20 years because it had more salt water hitting it than a Steam Packet Ferry, so no wonder it rotted from the inside out in record time. I think "textureising" the concrete afterwards by knocking lumps off it with big hammers didn't help much. It causes cracks that allowed water to get at the reinforcing bars, which then rust and expand, pushing off more concrete. It could have been done properly by casting it with that pattern but they did it on the cheap by casting it smooth and then hammering it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deejay Denzel Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 Concrete cancer is caused by too much alkali in the agregate, the walls of the building that weren't chipped were perfectly fine. The RSJ's at the back of the building near the rockface behind the squash courts were quite rusty, although the DSM guys said there was another 40 years left in the building. It was coming down on it's own! The outer walls that were chipped were not majorly supporting as they had steel uprights behind that supported the upper level and the uprights of the new piazza level chassis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Just like to say that your discussion going right back to July 2005 got me thinking about doing a fond memories scrap book of the Aquadrome - I thought surely there can't only be me and this one other person who enjoyed the place. It made a change to hear someone say they were fond of the place. Quote: I think they should do it up. I think it's quite safe to say I'm very much in the minority here as most people think it's a monstrosity of a building, but I rather like it and will be sad to see it go, especially after so many happy memories ranging from my dad taking me & my brothers swimming in the aquadrome (as a treat instead of going to castletown baths!), to the happy, blurry nights of the cave and all the 5 to 2 lasses I've chatted up etc. RIP summerland. If anyone has any fond memories please let me know and also give me permission to print them off for the scrap book. Some fantastic photos on site - tears in my eyes when I saw the photo of the front of the Aquadrome - my office for over 20 years was just above the letter D. It was like a sauna in the summer with only 2 tiny windows that opened! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deejay Denzel Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I loved summerland, as a kid i was in there every night after school. either running around while my dad played squash, in the play area, the cinema, the cave or in the aquadrome. I worked in the cave and with Energy so i got to see parts of the building that were not seen by the public. amazing how much space was not used either ever or after the fire. Still can't believe it's gone, that last view of the deep end we see is all that there is now, but not for long! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 The firemen used to practice drills around the building as there were so many unespected passage ways. Very spooky place at night - prior to security being introduced my job was to lock up and switch off the boiler in the plant room - off I went in the dark complete with a torch. You could hear the sound of crickets chirping away - or that is what everyone told me they were! Probably something a lot more creepy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Git Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 The site is quite tidy now, only one section left just in case the cliff comes down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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