UK Historic Buildings
How the UK could have looked - 6 landmarks reimagined
The UK is home to many famous and historic buildings, but what if alternative design plans for these structures had triumphed over what we see today?
TransPennine Express has reimagined 6 iconic landmarks to show exactly how the UK could have looked. Diving into the archives and uncovering original design plans, competition entries, and architectural options, they’ve had a 3D visual designer bring them to life.
National Monument of Scotland, Edinburgh
Situated atop Calton Hill, the National Monument of Scotland is a memorial to those who died fighting in the Napoleonic Wars from 1803 to 1815. Whilst famous, it gets mixed reviews from the Scots. First suggested by the Highland Society of Scotland in 1816, there was no funding made available by the government. Building began in 1822, with only a tiny proportion of the funds needed in place. Work eventually halted in 1829 with only a small part of the Parthenon structure ever being built. It’s now been reimagined in this grander, dome-style.
Manchester Cathedral
Manchester Cathedral underwent an extensive renovation in the 19th Century and again in the 20th Century to repair bomb damage. The former parish church situated on Victoria Street was first built in its Perpendicular Gothic style in 1421, although a church was previously recorded on this site as far back as 700 AD. In 1847, it became one of fifteen Grade I listed buildings in Manchester. But there were plans to build an entirely new cathedral. Designs by R.J. Carpenter featured a central grand tower and two stories. It would have been a magnificent structure.
Black Gate Museum, Newcastle
Built between 1247 and 1250 during the reign of King Henry III, The Black Gate was the last addition to the medieval castle defenses. The Castle Keep and its 13th Century gatehouse, the Black Gate, were once part of a much larger fortress. Nowadays the museum offers an amazing look into the early beginnings ofNewcastle. What you might not have known, however, is that in the 1850s there were grand plans to return the site to its former glories. And size. John Dobson drew up plans to turn the site into a much more elaborate and stone building on a grander scale.
Queen's Gardens, Hull
Queens Gardens, designed by Sir Fredrick Gibberd, used to be home to the largest dock in the British Isles. Set within a 9.75-acre area, the converted Queen's Gardens that we know today sit slightly below level due to the dock never fully being filled in. But before the go-ahead was given, there were plans of plenty for the space including creating the Venice of Hull, a tube station, a central market, and an underground garden. More recently, in 1970, there were plans to create Hull’s own Louvre, erecting a glass pyramid in the middle of the gardens. TransPennine Express has imagined how the Louvre of the North could have looked.
Liverpool Cathedral
Liverpool Cathedral as we know and love it today was built in 1978, with the construction taking 74 years from the very first stone being laid. It takes the crown as the largest cathedral and religious building in Britain, and it is the eighth-largest church in the world. No mean fete! But before the cathedral was built on St. James's Mount, they were originally going to build it next to St. George's Hall. A competition for the design took place between 1884 and 1886, with a concept by James Emerson submitted to the competition and actually placing first, but never eventually being built. Described by the architect as “an early phase of Gothic bordering on Romanesque”, with the large dome and two towers, it would have dominated the Liverpool skyline quite dramatically.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow
Currently home to a world-famous painting by Salvador Dali, Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum has an interesting history and folklore. In 1892 a competition was held to design the structure for the city’s new museum, with eventual winners the London-based architectural practice of John William Simpson and Edmund John Milner. Upon its completion in 1901, a rumour spread that the museum was actually built the wrong way round! However, it was later proved to be false, as the competition stipulated that the entrance should face North into Kelvingrove Park.
