Watch Greyfriars be demolished with the aid of 2,200 explosive charges

If you visited the site yesterday, then you'd have been able to watch the Greyfriars bus station implosion live through a camera feed. But don't worry if you couldn't make it as the event was recorded for posterity. Included here are a couple of videos showing the station being raised to the ground.

The building has been referred to as the "mouth of hell" and has stood in Northampton for the last 40 years. DSM Demolition ended up using 2,200 explosive charges to demolish the building. It looks to have gone smoothly.

Watch the Greyfriars bus station live right here

As we reported earlier this week, C&D customer DSM Demolition is spending this weekend demolishing Greyfriars bus station, and in the process creating a very large dust of cloud. Unfortunately, there isn't a good vantage point in the safe zone to watch the blowdown from, but technology is coming to the rescue.

Above is a webcam that will show the action live when it happens this coming Sunday, March 15th. So head back here on Sunday, maybe after you've watched the ridiculously early Australian grand prix, and watch Greyfriars come down.

If for any reason the video above doesn't work, you also watch it directly on UStream.

C&D customer DSM get ready for another major inner city blowdown

Sunday, March 15th will see C&D Customer DSM Demolition create a large dust cloud over Northampton. The cloud is unavoidable due to it being caused by the blowdown of Greyfriars bus station.

One side effect of the dust is that there will apparently be no good vantage point for watching the blowdown, in part due to the large safety zone being setup around the station. This will include the closure of the main shopping street, Abington Street. Albert Street, Wellington Street, Greyfriars, Lady’s Lane, part of Sheep Street, Newland and Victoria Street will also all be closed.

You can see the map detailing the safety/exclusion zone below (click the image to see it full size):


The good news is, there will be a live camera available to view on the day, which you can watch here.

Source: Northampton Chronicle

Old Northampton bus station to be demolished March 15th

C&D customer DSM has set the date for the Northampton Greyfriars demolition as March 15th.

Northampton will see an exclusion zone setup around the Greyfriars building on the Sunday, with local residents evacuated beforehand as a precautionary measure. Then a controlled explosion will be used to bring the structure down.

Although inconvenient for residents, the removal of the building opens the way for new development. The site is expected to be made ready for such redevelopment later this year, with Northampton Borough Council investigating exactly what is the best use of the land going forward.

Source: Northampton Chronicle and image from Whohe!

Gas Holder Tower demolition underway in Northampton

Last month dismantling work began on the gas holder tower located on Tanner Street, Northampton, which formed part of the St Peters Way works. The tower was used to turn coal into gas, and while it hasn't been in use since the 60s, the large structure has remained in place.

There's actually two such gas holder towers on the site, and both are set to be gone before we celebrate Christmas this year. It will certainly open up the view for those passing by or living locally, but not for long as a new office construction is planned.

Source: BBC News