I met Rob and John from LLDC today to have a look round the wonderful and iconic Littlewoods Building on Edge Lane, easily my most favourite building in the whole city.
Their plans are really exciting, this is going to be the top address in the whole city if the plans to convert this empty building into apartments goes ahead.
Generally I am antipathetic about the throwing up of apartment blocks all over Liverpool while so few already in existence are occupied. But I am positively certain that these apartments will be so desirable that they will be queuing round the block to get one when the time comes. In fact it would be my dream to have one myself!
It was really strange to walk through the vast empty spaces where hundreds of women used to open the pools coupons and check the entries to find a winner and where hundreds of men worked the printing presses printing the coupons and the Littlewoods catalogues. Here and there are some of the old signs advising staff of various instructions, the Quality Assurance office is clearly marked, the coupon number, the date of the draw still fixed to the wall. The clocking in cards are still there, the vast strong rooms are silent and empty now but as you walk around you can hear the chattering of the staff, the noise of the printing machines, and you can sense the heady excitement of a winner coming in for their big cheque.
I adore Art Deco design, whether it be in buildings, furniture or china for instance. This scheme is going to blow people's socks off, much more so than the endless competitions planned for the river front about whose blocks are taller. The park and gardens (some there and some still to come) will set this development in a wonderful green space, frankly I cannot wait. Bring it on!
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