Demolition underway – photos of Gateshead’s Get Carter car park today

Gateshead car park (26 Jul 2010)

In my blog post about Gateshead’s Get Carter car park this morning, I suggested that “…it seems hard to believe that the car park is finally going to disappear from the skyline after so many false starts.”

However, it really *is* going. Demolition began this morning, with quite a few bits nibbled out by the time I went along to take a look this evening.

Here, for posterity, are some shots of this quite historic day for Gateshead – the beginning of the end for an architectural icon, but the beginning, one must hope, of a retail renaissance for the town centre.

Gateshead car park (26 Jul 2010)

Gateshead car park (26 Jul 2010)

Gateshead car park (26 Jul 2010)

Gateshead car park (26 Jul 2010)

Gateshead car park (26 Jul 2010)

Gateshead car park (26 Jul 2010)

Gateshead car park (26 Jul 2010)

Gateshead car park from Windmill Hills Town Park (26 Jul 2010)

Though it’s going to be around a while longer yet, I also got a couple of shots of the current Tesco store. Looking back, from a retail history point of view, I’ve always enjoyed how the placement of the original ‘T E S C O’ lettering is still very visible on the store’s façade.

Tesco Gateshead (26 Jul 2010)

And looking forward – but seemingly appreciating the agonising slowness with which the development has progressed – I’ve always gained a chuckle from the banner proclaiming that Tesco is ‘still open’ (presumably in case anyone assumes that it’s actually been demolished already).

Tesco Gateshead (26 Jul 2010)

Only time will tell how much longer that remains the case. Once the car park is gone, and plans for the redevelopment are approved, then the Tesco store will itself have to come down, clearing the way for the new, bigger Tesco Extra that will replace it.