Here's a weird one!

[wayne venomous]

I used to go past this every Saturday as a child:


The photo was taken in the 70's but I recall it was there right up until the late 80's. It was located in Shields Road, Byker (pauses for people to shout "Byker, Byker Grove!") Newcastle. In the photo it's actually being used as an office for bus drivers!

The story goes that during the 1960's and well into the 70's, Newcastle was going through a major revamp and "futuristic sci-fi" was very much the theme. This was originally constructed in the late 60's as a Police box (hence the emergency light still on top) but as this was only a short while before the police upgraded to two way radios, it became a bit of a folly until the local Bus service started using it. As it had a telephone and electricity it made a perfect small office for the bus drivers where they could wait when changing drivers and also somewhere they could call for assistance should the bus break down. Also supplies like ticket printer rolls were stored there. Alas, even the bus company got two way radios in the 80's.

Newcastle is full of follies - stuff that was built at huge expense in the 60's and 70's that never got used, thanks to a chap called T. Dan Smith.