Government buildings, Rothwell

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Mon 17 Oct, 2011 3:18 pm

This building is on Butcher Lane in Rothwell.More to come once I've convinced myself that the photo is attached.

Si · Post by Si » Mon 17 Oct, 2011 3:21 pm

Bruno wrote: This building is on Butcher Lane in Rothwell.More to come once I've convinced myself that the photo is attached. Yes, it's there. Click on the red X to view.

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Mon 17 Oct, 2011 3:40 pm

Good, the photo's there. I've been puzzled by the usage of this building since I moved to Rothwell 16 years ago. The building itself is immediately adjacent to the Rothwell telephone exchange, and about 100 yards from the back of the Rothwell Council building. The building doesn't appear on Google maps (where it is incorrectly labelled 'Rothwell Dental Surgery') and on the A-Z it's enigmatically titled 'Government Buildings'.The building is inconspicuous to the point of anonymity. There are no signs declaring ownership, nothing saying 'keep out, private property' or similar, and even the door doesn't have a number. The windows, just below roof level, and the glass in the door are all covered or blacked out. In fact, the building is so low-key that when I've asked long-standing residents of Rothwell if the know what the building in Butcher Lane is used for, the most common response is "What building?"Sometimes there are cars parked there, and I don't think they belong to shoppers etc because there's loads of free car parking space in Rothwell.I think the building may have originally been the telephone exchange for Rothwell, judging by its location and by the similarity to this former exhange pictured on Leodis: http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?reso ... 6950625The question is, assuming that this was the old exchange, what has it been used for since the new Telephone Exchange was built (1960's by the look of it)? I'd like to think that inside there's just a lift door, and when you get in you are carried half a mile underground and let out at an underground road leading to the nuclear bunker at Robin Hood, which is only a mile away. A cold war escape route to allow Rothwell councillors to carry on the important business of governing Rothwell should the balloon go up. But that might be a bit far fetched.Here's another photo (I hope)

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Mon 17 Oct, 2011 3:42 pm

And another photo of the back.So, does anybody know what goes on in there, if anything?

PJ · Post by PJ » Mon 17 Oct, 2011 3:57 pm

I spent five happy years in this building. Two years as a customer and three years working for the employment service. It was a jobcentre/benefit office up until 1994 when it was sold to local solicitors for storage. The job centre moved into the precinct - next to the bookies. Sadly now demolished for the new Morrison's monstrosity.

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Mon 17 Oct, 2011 4:19 pm

PJ wrote: It was a jobcentre/benefit office up until 1994 when it was sold to local solicitors for storage. I moved to Rothwell in 1995.That mystery didn't last very long then, did it? Thanks PJ.