Lift / elevator hunting in Sunderland, England

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Imagine being allowed to uncover that boarded up lift. Wonder from what year that lift is from. Nice gated lift, cool you went into the store to see the other end of it!

[@ow3nc]

Well, the car park is of brutalist architecture which was common in the 1960s, so I guess the original lift was from that time. The place is almost derelict now due to new car parks been opened a few years ago, which would have lead to vandalism over time. Sunderland is still under redevelopment so it's been tricky to find some old lifts there. There is an old shopping mall which is connected to two tower blocks of flats, but there's a lot of security to access the flats from ABOVE the shopping mall. I would have loved to get in there and see if there's any old Express lifts in those flats. Yep, that gated Evans lift was a nice find. Notice the control buttons are supposed to be "secured" from that old rusty box.... Someone's obviously been pulling the screws out. :)

[@ow3nc]

By the way, matt, do you know the actual brand name of those large rounded square buttons at 11:30 ? Those buttons have been used for lifts (as well as the old Northern Rail trains) for years! I remember one of the first lifts I used as a kid (in the late 80s) used those buttons. (the original lift at the Forum theatre in Billingham which was opened by the queen in the 60s)

[@DriftingSofa]

they are probably square dewhurst