aimee

Thanks laura i will definately look into it, it would be a great experience and give me a much more credible viewpoint. I totally agree with what you say about grange, obviously the council is simply not willing to invest any longer as they plan to demolish, disregarding the safety and security of the REAL people that live there, i beleive some of the council and public members naively regard such residents as a less deserving underclass. Interestingly my partner has recently bought one of the new houses recently developed at Norfolk Park and when we looked around the show home he asked what the plan was for the remaining tower blocks, the lady in the office replied that they would soon be got rid of, so there was no need to worry, and you can see your car from the house anyway!!!! :shock: Can u beleive it, my heart goes out to anyone that is classified as a criminal because they do not live in a conventional home! Aimee

Its nice to hear that someone enjoyed their time at claywood, however it does appear to me that most people didnt have such a pleasant experience. But history is history, good and bad, we can t just white wash over architectural and social mistakes, we just have to learn from them and improve on them. Maybe as achild you were sheltered from the realities of life at Claywood, perhaps your parents had to deal with it day to day but kept you protected? Surely a tower block is a mothers nightmare, supervision and safety wise, is nt it? Opinions welcomed! Aimee

dear cellarboy, I understand that you are in a way insulted by the ignorance of an outsider commenting on life inside a tower block when we have no first ahnd experience, however if we don t ask we will never know and appreciate the hardships involved. As a social scientist i don t just want to take a distanced text book view, i want to hear the real story and hopefully prevent such grave mistakes being made in the future, tower blocks can be a success, i feel for your horrible experience though. Did you find any benefits at all? Aimee

Hi joanna, Its Aimee (the one who started this topic) i hav nt been able to check the forum for quite some time cos i ve been doing exams etc. But there are some really interesting replies popping up. I am hoping to do some research over the summer into tower block living, and would appreciate any pointers on how to actually visit tower blocks in and sround sheffield as i have always thought it was not possible to enter if not permitted. I would love to see some of your photos ans hear some of your insights, i have some of my own, perhaps you could e mail me at- aimee.ambrose@student.shu.ac.uk Glad to find a fellow enthusiast! Aimee

to the anonymous person writing on norfolk park, Thankyou for enlightening me! it was very interesting to hear from u. I am currently doing research into tower block living. if i may i would like to ask a few questions that you can answer if you wish. Did u find that there were any bonuses to living in such a close knit environment? Do u think that design was to blame, the people that lived there or the managmentand maintenance of the estate? If you could identify one factor that u attribute the downfall of the estate to what would it be? And, how well do u feel the council dealt with your displeasure? Do u now feel satisfied with where you live? I am extremly keen to represent an insiders view, and hope u can help with this. Thankyou for your reply. Aimee

I am shocked by the lack of public information and local interest in major alteration to the city over the last 5 or more years, such as that of the Norfolk park regeneration which is still in progress. 13 seventeen storey blocks of flats, visible from all over the city, once 1000's of people's homes have been blasted into oblivion and more will follow, and nobody bats an eyelid . This year will see the end of the claywood flats overlooking the station and dominating the skyline, does anyone care? I happen to think that such buildings should be considered as much apart of the cities architechtural heritage as traditional buildings like the town hall etc, and once made happy homes.It seems communities are being ripped apart for a more aesthetically pleasing skyline. Maybe i am wrong?Would any body agree with this or have an alternative opinion, or insiders view? Does any body else have any opinion on tower block living they would like to share, i would love to hear from you. Aimee Ambrose