The Bonded warehouses were built between 1841 and 1844 by Amor Spoor who carried out his wealthy trade until his death and it continued on beyond the centenary of these buildings. The warehouses were finally abandoned during the late 1970s.
The warehouses were named 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50.
Houses 10 to 30 were demolished during the early 1980s and replaced with a terraced garden which gained a certain notoriety with local criminals doing all kinds of shady deals and men who batted for the other team, so to speak, carrying on sordid acts in the area. "The gardens" have recently been renovated to make it more open plan meaning less of the dubious goings on.
Warehouse 50 was severely fire damaged in the early 1990s and its carcass was beyond repair and demolished. Warehouse 40 is the only one left standing, just. There are plans to renovate what's left into offices and apartments.
16th January 2006
8th February 2006
10th February 2006
25th March 2006
On the 24th march 2006 there was another huge fire in the remaining building which caused havoc throughout the city. News report here BBC - Crews monitor fire-hit building and the 5 pictures below were taken around 24 hours after the fire but I could'nt get too close due to the area being cordoned off.
Thanks to John Smith who mailed me the following 2 photos of the building on fire.
31st March 2006
Demolition of the top four floors on the front of the building is due start any day now. More demolition may be needed but they plan to keep the internal walls. I got a bit closer to the warehouse today so here are a few of the pictures that I took.
14th August 2006
2nd November 2006
5th September 2007
10th October 2007
30th November 2007
24th March 2008
More Information:
- Sitelines - Newcastle, Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouses
- Historic England - Bonded Warehouse
- Sitelines - Hanover Street
- Co-Curate - Hanover Street
See my other photos near The Bonded Warehouse:
