Concrete Reality (architecture &/or skateboarding)

Outside Burnley Market! Looks a lot different now

Empty 1971 fountain: Search. Burnley Civic Trust Heritage Image Collection

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Brilliant, I’ve never seen that pic before either. If I could be arsed to dig through some shoeboxes I’d find some old photos of us skating it, but you don’t really need to see my tie-dye and Skate Rags, better to just imagine

Get 'em found & scanned, we need to see!

1980s Burnley looked like it had some good spots but I think most have been demolished, that newish park is kinda abstract

Yeah I know everyone probably thinks the same thing about where they grew up skating but Burnley really was blessed with some amazing brutal concrete spots back then.

Didn’t know about that park, I see it’s on the Stoops estate, things may have changed since I lived there but Stoops used to be a really good hangout area if you liked smack and racism, I hope it’s got better

I’ve been to that park once & there was a guy sawing through a metal bench so don’t reckon it’s changed much

These banks on the way looked decent…

This is sadly gone now, I think

Da0nXo-X0AE6To8

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Trafalgar flats, yeah long gone, at one time they were home to Wayne Hussey of The Mission (goth thread crossover)

Those banks in the subway are still there afaik, pretty steep but there are more mellow examples dotted around that area, some are soooo good

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Aww, go on :wink:

‘’Close your eyes and think of Burnley’’ - Fos

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Funny you should say that, here’s a couple of Burnley pics from his insta, one of which is on that fountain (I think I took these pics, maybe, it was a long time ago)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdgyofPvCSb/?igsh=amRkZDM5cm1wazB3
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ct2jhhbPYIz/?igsh=MWtscWdzYnljbWZ5

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Instantly reminded me of:

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good BTO piece focussing on unusual skatespots. concrete conquistadors

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The Berkeley Library in Trinity College Dublin, the pyramid & sphere sculpture was added in 1982 after construction finished in 1970. Handrails went in down the 9 stairs, the loverrrly galvanised steel variety and along with the smooth granite surface on top, it was a legendary spot whenever you got the time to skate it. The most I ever got was about 40 minutes and security were utterly abhorrent fuckwits.

it was fantastic up to 2002 or so when they nobbed and raised the rails by 50cm, put planters between the A-frame windows/skylights and bolted in bike racks at the bottom of the banks.

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France’s new nuclear storage facility. Complete with flat bottom
IMG_2849

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Alexis Sablone speaks at an architecture summit to an audience of non skaters about the relationship between skateboarding and the built environment including her own plaza spot design. Potentially a bit of a, ‘ I’ve heard it all before’ scenario, but it’s a good watch. I enjoyed it.

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