1930s University Lecture Theatre

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1930s University Lecture Theatre

Postby nodrog » Thu May 06, 2004 11:34 pm

I work in Glasgow Uni's chemistry department, an A-listed deco building that has quite a few interesting features (not least the sub-sub-basement and access to the mineshaft, but that's another story).

The main lecture theatre in the building was, until last summer, almost entirely untouched from how it was when built in the 1930s - solid oak fixtures, hard wooden benches, the lot.
Image

This was all ripped out to modernise the place, and in comes cheap seats and plywood (which I bet wont last anywhere near the 70 years the originals did!). Anyway, I was documenting the conversion, thought some people here might be interested to see the before, during and after.


The full gallery is at:
http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/~gbarr/chem_lt/

There is still one remaining original lecture theatre in the building now - it has been abandoned for about 10 years as the rake is so steep it contravenes health & safety requirements! I do plan to try to get access there at some point in the near future...

Gordon
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Postby Pgcc93 » Fri May 07, 2004 12:11 am

Great pics Beaker err... nodrog :D HSE really sucks that place should have been left alone. :evil:
:idea: Do us a favour and liberate this next time your passing :wink:
http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/~gbarr/chem_lt/Pages/30.html


and if you've still got room under your jacket could you get hold of this :?: lets face it, this'll just end up in a skip where tramps will piss on it etc. :D


http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/~gbarr/chem_lt/Pages/31.html

I always wondered where they filmed Trisha now we know :wink:

http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/~gbarr/chem_lt/Pages/IMGP0303.html
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Postby kn0wledge » Fri May 07, 2004 12:13 am

I was in the old lecture hall long before it got refitted, on a trip when I was at highschool. I remember my friend tripping and falling halfway down the stairs, much to the amusement of several hundred people. Those steps must have been at about 60 degrees.
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Postby AMcD » Fri May 07, 2004 8:13 am

Nice photos....

They should get this guy in as a guest lecturer for the opening of the new wan.

http://www.unb.br/ig/prof/ReinhardtAdolfoFuck.htm

All hail Professor Fuck.

*EDIT*
Meant to ask ... what's this thing?
http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/~gbarr/chem_lt/Pages/27.html
Last edited by AMcD on Fri May 07, 2004 8:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby escotregen » Fri May 07, 2004 8:47 am

Nodrog, I think you have done really well here to record this before-and-after process. The 70s artifacts are curently especially being derided and removed, just as much of the 60s stuff was. The 'then-its-gone-its-gone' thread speaks for itself, and with your efforts we now have a record of something-that's-gone' (I better stop there!)
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Postby nodrog » Fri May 07, 2004 9:17 am

To answer some questions....



It's in the roof space above the original suspended ceiling; as far as I can tell, some kind of compressor or other piece of air-conditioning type equipment.
Amusingly, the el-cheapo contractors have attached the new suspended ceiling below the old suspended ceiling, which can't be a good thing! It also means if you look through the portholes from the old projection room now you see bits of plywood crudely nailed over them!

I remember my friend tripping and falling halfway down the stairs, much to the amusement of several hundred people. Those steps must have been at about 60 degrees.


Oh yes, many people have done the same. The steps were impressively steep - but not nearly as steep as in the currently abandoned lecture thatre I mentioned!

Do us a favour and liberate this next time your passing
http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/~gbarr/chem_lt/Pages/30.html
and if you've still got room under your jacket could you get hold of this lets face it, this'll just end up in a skip where tramps will piss on it etc.
http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/~gbarr/chem_lt/Pages/31.html


The first one is a bit tricky as it's sunk into the wall & wired in, and the old projection room is usually locked as its now used for storage. But I am considering it!
The second clock has already been rescued and is currently sitting in my office!
It's actually heartbreaking - it's a gorgeous clock, with a very odd winding mechanism I've never seen before; it must have been quite unusual.
But when you open it up to have a look, you discover at some point in the 1980s all of the actual innards have been ripped out & replaced with a cheap woolworths battery powered electric clock motor. Horrible!

I did also rescue one of the original solid oak benches when they were being ripped out; it makes rather a nice shelf in the office, polished to a high sheen by the bottoms of thousands of students over the years!

Thanks for all the comments and replies - nice to see people are interested.
There are lots of other nooks, crannies and interesting things in this building I can show you if you'd like??

Gordon
"I'd just move on to the 'hot-air ballooning vigilante' stage of my career earlier than planned"

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Postby Sharon » Fri May 07, 2004 9:20 am

Thanks for all the comments and replies - nice to see people are interested.
There are lots of other nooks, crannies and interesting things in this building I can show you if you'd like??


nooks, crannies and interesting things...well, thats what we're all about here!!!
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Postby My Kitten » Fri May 07, 2004 9:30 am

Excellent piccies.

Being a thick git I wouldnt have had the chance to see that ever!
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Postby duncan » Fri May 07, 2004 9:33 am

i've only seen this building from the outside in passing, but it's pretty nice looking deco. at least they seem to have kept the original doors
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Postby nodrog » Fri May 07, 2004 9:34 am

Just to let you see what I mean about that lovely clock.

here it is looking dusty but complete in my office:

Image

Here's a close up of the interesting winding/weight mechanism (that still works) - crank the little handle at the bottom and the shiny weight thing moves up the spiral track:

Image

Now here's the disappointment that awaits when you actually open it up and look behind the face to see the clock mechanism itself...

Image

Who would do such a thing?!

Gordon
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Postby Sharon » Fri May 07, 2004 9:36 am

That is criminal!!!

String them up i say!
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Postby nodrog » Fri May 07, 2004 9:41 am

duncan wrote:i've only seen this building from the outside in passing, but it's pretty nice looking deco. at least they seem to have kept the original doors


It's really quite nice from some angles, horrible from others - mainly where you can see the forest of fume-hood extract vents from the labs that have been stuck on the outside of the building.

There quite a few nice original doors and door-handles about; I'll need to snap a few and stick them up here at some point.

nooks, crannies and interesting things...well, thats what we're all about here!!!


Well, since you asked nicely, here's something to be going on with. There used to be a Chemistry Museum, long since abandoned. It's filled with dusty glass tubes and interesting looking things in jars. Things like these:

Image

Not sure if you can make it out in this small pic, but the hand-written labels include the date they were prepared - from left to right, 3/3/1910, 2/3/1902 and 4/2/1901.

Finally, here's the world's largest lump of Red Kryptonite:

Image

Gordon
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Postby turbozutek » Fri May 07, 2004 9:46 am

That thing is a lift gear / winch.

Chris...
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Postby nodrog » Fri May 07, 2004 9:48 am

turbozutek wrote:That thing is a lift gear / winch.


Well it's a damn odd place to put it, thats for sure!
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Postby turbozutek » Fri May 07, 2004 9:49 am

Given it's design I'd say it was built for torque rather than actual rotational speed.

Any curtains / screens nearby ? Could be a light positioning winch also.

It's not connected to anything by the looks of it anyways.

Liberate it! ;-)

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