Govan Lyceum Regeneration

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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby gap74 » Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:01 am

Well just as long as they aren't expecting to build houses there - plenty of brownfield sites in Govan without having to destroy one of the best streamline deco interiors in Scotland...

Interestingly, look at the entry in the table two up from it, highlighted in blue - owned by the same folks, I believe, and also once home to a decrepit B-listed cinema until an unfortunate fire last year - now worth half a million, it seems, without the constraint of having a mouldering listed building on the site...

(Not that I'm at all cynical after today's Botanic Gardens Garage decision...!)
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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby Socceroo » Sat Feb 20, 2010 1:26 pm

I am pretty sure that there are plans kicking about somewhere that the Lyceum is to be turned into flats with only the facade retained? Is it not part of the current Govan Masterplan that has been in the media?
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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby gap74 » Sat Feb 20, 2010 1:51 pm

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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby Socceroo » Sat Feb 20, 2010 2:19 pm

What do you do with an empty dilapidated cinema building?

Cinema? No, I think it is now the wrong location for that. The Lyceum previously mainly served the locals in Govan when the population was much denser, and prior to there being Multiplex's with parking on the front door.

Bingo Hall? I think even that is played out.

I think it will end up as flats and I would not complain at that, at least the facade would be retained. Though I am wondering who would want to buy flats without windows? So the facade will probably need to be altered.

Possibly it could be turned into one huge Defence Solicitors Office, or a Pub at least then it would be keeping with every other shop unit on Govan Road.
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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby gap74 » Sat Feb 20, 2010 5:41 pm

Well, no, it's probably never going to be a full-time cinema or a bingo hall again, that I'll agree on.

But flats? Do we need more flats? Govan has acres and acres of derelict land to build those on without wrecking listed buildings to do it.

The interior of the Lyceum is pretty special in terms of what's left in 1930s cinemas in Scotland, even probably in a UK context. The same architects did similar streamlined interiors for their Ascot in Anniesland and the State in King's Park, but both of those have now been lost, leaving this as the only one. It's also the only one whose exterior matches those interiors. Inspiration came from the international modern movement, and construction was near contemporary with Tait's Exmpire Exhibition in nearby Bellahouston Park. One could even argue that there's a wee bit of Erich Mendelsson's Universum cinema of 1928 in Berlin:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolf-rabe/3571436540/

In short, facadism isn't an acceptable conservation solution for a building of this importance. We specifically requested that Historic Scotland strengthen the listing description when they did their thematic survey of cinemas in 2007-8 to reflect this, and to stress that the interior was just as important as the exterior.

Govan is rightly proud of its heritage, and preserving and celebrating that is an integral part of the masterplan. But it doesn't start with the hogbacks in the Old Parish church and end with the shipbuilding boom. Why not celebrate the fact that there's a 1930s streamline moderne masterpiece in Govan, with no equal in either Scotland or the Uk as a whole?

As for alternative uses, I have no easy answers, but would rather see it empty for a few more years than taking the decision to demolish now in the current climate because it'll provide a few temporary construction jobs or there's no money for an alternative scheme. I know of at least one very passionate chap who wants to use it as a museum of Scottish cinema and a demonstration venue for a widescreen process, but as ever, it all comes down to money. Who'd have thought that they would come up with an acceptable solution for the old Orkney St prison block, but they have. The whole area is being touted as a fledgling media centre, is it so far beyond the imagination to think that a building like the Lyceum might have some more sympathetic conservation solution related to that?

The Bo'ness Hippodrome remained derelict and crumbling for 25 years before anyone came up with enough money and the political will to restore it. Had it been in Glasgow and Edinburgh, it would probably have long been condemned to demolition because there's an alarming tendency these days to rush through a "quick fix" solution in regeneration schemes. Once the Lyceum's interior is lost, it's lost - there are no more of these streamline McNair and Elder interiors left anywhere. Govan has already lost Napier house on our watch just last year, if the auditorium of the Lyceum goes too, then I think I'll just give all this stuff up, my faith in our custodianship of our built heritage will be irreparably damaged!
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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby Mori » Sat Feb 20, 2010 5:58 pm

I'd buy it in a minute (if i had the backing), turn it in to a Film and TV Museum combined with specialising in art/cult movie outlet like the GFT, with a HUGE outlet dedicated to the Scifi/fantasy Genre like the Forbiden planet...integrated with an educational school dedicated to Film &TV.
Last edited by Mori on Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby banjo » Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:36 pm

stop making sense mori.
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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby Josef » Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:37 pm

banjo wrote:stop making sense mori.

Aye, there's too many talking heads on here.
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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby Mori » Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:39 pm

banjo wrote:stop making sense mori.


Thankyou :D
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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby rabmania » Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:24 am

Gap74, I feel your pain.
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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby Josef » Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:36 am

Socceroo, you don't post enough. I sometimes feel as if I'm a knee-jerk conservationist - keep it because it's there and I'm used to it. It's good to see opinions from the other side.

Gap74, that was quite the most devastatingly reasonable post we've seen in recent weeks.
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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby gap74 » Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:48 am

We contacted the bloke this week who had previously expressed an interest to see if he was still interested, and if he was aware of the current asking price - last he had heard, the asking price was almost twice that.

He definitely still has the passion, we're meeting with him in the next week or so, so we'll see how it pans out. One thing he did say, the building is valued a fair bit below 275k, and when he was last in it around 5 months ago, it was showing signs of deterioration. As such, getting a bank to finance it in these already depressed times will be a bit of a struggle...!
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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby Fossil » Tue Feb 23, 2010 8:05 pm

Now dont quote me but I heard. this venue maybe turned in to a Bollywood Cinema 8)

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Re: Cinema to star in £20,000 Govan revamp

Postby Josef » Tue Feb 23, 2010 8:09 pm

I hope it does better than the one in Cessnock just off Paisley Road West, then. :(

Now, naturally, demolished for flats.
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Lyceum Cinema

Postby peter » Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:17 pm

Have just heard through the grapevine. (unconfirmed) that the old Lyceum Cinema is to become a Mosque.
As an ex- Govanite the idea appalls me. What next. Wil we all become ragheads?. I hate to be totally un PC and say . Enoch Powell was DEAD right. No doubt by sticking my head above parapet the PC lovies will crucify me but at my age I dont give a damn.
"I've seen them come and I've seen them go. And I've seen them Die"
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