'Get Carter' carpark , GOT PICS

[coggers]

Just an idea at the minute really but myself and one of the Retro Rides chaps have mumbled on in the past about how good an idea it would be to get some pics of various retros using the Get Carter car park as a backdrop..

You know the one..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah that one .

 

Apparently Tescos want to redevelop the site. This would obviously involve knocking down the existing shopping centre and the car park and this may be as soon as the new year.. So the plan is we're going to have a looky at the surrounding streets this weekend to see if there's anywhere accessible for a decent pic or two .

 

So depending on what we find this weekend , does anybody fancy a small but perfectly formed retro meet in the next few weeks to take a few snaps before they flatten the thing ?

[NginEEr]

id happily go i only live at leam lane i havent passed my test yet though my mk2 escy will have to wait

 

edit:

 

use the tesco car park its free lol

[coggers]

 

use the tesco car park its free lol

 

aye I was thinking that !

 

if we went early enough it'd be fairly empty so more chance of a decent pic..

[ZetecVan 2.0]

I'd be tempted with this Coggers. I was looking through the Get Carter locations site earlier today.

 

http://www.getcartertour.pwp.blueyonder ... getcarter/

 

The car park, made famous by Michael Caine's 1971 film, will be bulldozed in November if Tesco's proposals proceed as planned.

[dannyboy]

I got a letter through from the coucil saying it was being knocked down in August.....3 months later and no further forward!

 

I might pop along although I'll have to go in the darkest corner as my car is more rustier than white

 

How many people are on this forum that are round here? I've only seen a few, a young lad in a 4 door light blue mk2 and a few really old guys. Apart from that the only other ones are too nice to leave the garage

 

Actually I doubt my 1300 auto will be able to get up the first little hill

[NginEEr]

i suppose the service area of the car park could be used too.be a shame to see the car park pulled down too.

[coggers]

 

I might pop along although I'll have to go in the darkest corner as my car is more rustier than white

 

How many people are on this forum that are round here? I've only seen a few, a young lad in a 4 door light blue mk2 and a few really old guys. Apart from that the only other ones are too nice to leave the garage

 

Doesn't matter what you're driving or how good/bad it is ( I'll be in a Firenza ffs) i just thought that it was one of those iconic buildings ( unfortunately not a listed one...) that every time Iwatch the film again I find myself talking to somebody about how good it would be to have a look at it and take some pics before it gets bulldozed.

 

I remember the feature that was in Classic Ford years ago when they drove a mk2 Cortina up here and took a few snaps , just thought it would be good to do it before the chance is lost forever..

 

I've posted this on Retro Rides and Retro Car Club and there's a bit of interest in it so it's not going to be an all Ford thing , bit of an eclectic mix if anything The more the merrier !

[ZetecVan 2.0]

How many people are on this forum that are round here?

 

Not me. I'm from Yorkshire but I'm quite happy travelling 100 miles to see it. My mate used to live in Newcastle in the early 90s so I was up there quite often. I don't think I'd ever seen the film then though so never went to have a look at it.

[coggers]

So me and mrs coggers had a looky about today to see what , if any , access we could get ..Nokia phone pics and all that..

 

As you go South over the Tyne bridge you can see the thing looming out of the skyline in the distance...

 

 

 

 

 

It's still got a shopping centre bit attached to the bottom of it but it's really run down ..

 

You can get the odd shot from the roads around it but all the ones I saw were either double yellow or bus only types but going on a sunday afternoon late on it wasn't too busy ..

 

Ironically enough , Tescos carpark seems to offer the best shots

 

You can still go inside it on the ground level as there seem to be a few shops still trading..

 

and if you're into taking pics of these sort of delapidated 60's concrete jungle type of buildings then you'll love it . I could have wandered around there for hours

 

 

The restaurant bit at the top

 

this is the road that the attractive laydee goes hurtling up in her white Sunbeam

 

 

hmmmm ^^^

 

 

 

 

This last shot is from the main road ouside but it's a bus route only..

 

 

 

Gratuitous going back over the Tyne bridge shaky shot :

 

 

 

 

So unless we park in Tescos and rattle off a few shots it's not going to be easy to get a group photo too near it . There is a side road that has the usual 'permit holders and deliveries only' signs on it which leads up to this bit ---

you'd probably have to be quick because there are cameras all over the place but even in saying that we wandered about for half an hour or so without any hassle ..

 

 

About 2mins over the road from there is the old Joseph Rank building which is now the Baltic arts centre - has a huge car park so may be a better meeting point.

 

 

 

So I'm suggesting in about a fortnight we meet at the Baltic , mosey over to the carpark then head over to the Angel of The North ?

 

That'll be Sunday November 25th - anybody up for it ?

[Ade B]

That place looks awesome! Remember reading about it in CF years ago.... just assumed it was gone now.

 

A meet/shoot in it would be well cool

[Northern Bloke]

I'd be up for this (as long as the weather's not too nasty)

[coggers]

Northern Bloke - cool . Saw your car down at Croft the other weekend , looking excellent

 

 

 

I've spoken to Gateshead Council. Crack is I have to put a request in writing to get a permit to go in it and take pics and try and get to the top level etc etc .. So I've written them a letter , waiting to hear back..

 

Had another look today and the car park is well and truly open to about the 6th floor. It's open on saturdays too until 6.30pm.

 

So we should definitely make it a Saturday and get some pics inside the thing I think.

 

If we catch it just right and it's a bright day we'll get some excellent stuff.I just wish I had a better camera and a better eye for this sort of thing.

 

Few more pics to whet your appetite.

 

 

And the winner for the best graffiti with a black magic marker for 2007 goes to.....

 

And that ^^^ was not me ..honest officer.

 

 

 

And this is level 7 which you can't get to..

 

 

the indoor market is till going , there was a sign inside one of the stalls saying they were still open until January ..

 

 

 

 

When you actually get into the car park and start driving up the various levels it isn't too steep so if you're running anything really low you should be ok

 

The only really bad bit may be the entrance ramp off the main street outside but its' not too bad..

 

[Northern Bloke]

Cheers

 

Got to be done if it's open

[BigDave]

Now that is a lot of pictures of a carpark!!

 

I would be up for this but my car is now on Sorn??? But then again, a new one could be in the gang by then I suppose???

 

Put me down as a yes if I have a car.

[Ade B]

That's mighty cool

 

love a good bit o' 60s concrete so I do

[ezydriver]

I may have been dreaming, but when I read that article a few years back, when they drove there in a mk2, didn't they say there is a bullethole in the glass from where Alf Roberts got shot?

 

Did Alf Roberts get shot?

 

Somebody got shot.

[NginEEr]

i seen your car to northen bloke the air ambulance show i was a marshal that day got a few pics of your car. i was going to say that service area coggers i used to go there alot lol the the roof ramped part. ive always wanted to go to the top too.i have a few pics on my phone ill see what i can do. also got my mk2 on the road too so just have to pass my test now.

 

my escorts first run after its reuild

[Northern Bloke]

Weather looks to be crap at the weekend and I've passed gritters on the roads today so I won't be bringing the car out now

[hellblue]

Its a shame its so far away for me i'd love to go with my Mk2

[coggers]

i finally got a reply from the council ,story is they're going to arrange a day when the top floors will be open to the public to allow photographs to be taken and we have been added to the list of interested parties .

Unfortunately cars will NOT be allowed past the 7th floor for safety reasons. But we can go into the carpark as it is now and take photographs of our cars , only criteria is I have to fill in an indemnity form which would state that the photos are to be used for 'personal use' only....

Now that I've actually got a contact at the council I'm going to speak to him over the next few days just to clarify what's been said in the email and then we should be a bit nearer to organising a meet.

[dannyboy]

One of these for you Mr Coggers .

 

All sounds good and thankfully no one has suggested going to the Traf for a . You couldn't pay me to go in there