[GMH]

When I was down in London last month I stayed at a hotel that was not far from Euston Road. The road name immediatly made me think of Thames Television and I know that the company closed its Euston Road studios down in 1993 after thgey lost their franchise, but they kept Teddington open for a while. NW1 seemed to be the home for many ITV companies like TV-am and ITN was not far away near on Gray's Inn Road.

Does anyone know where exactly on Euston Road Thames used to be based and also can anyone tell me what company or organisation is based there now?

[Chorlton Fisher]

The old Thames building was next to the huge Euston Tower. Thames was demolished some time ago and the building there now is the headquarters of Abbey. Very nice building.

[ariusuk]

And not only did they keep Teddington open "for a while", it is still open and making lots of programmes.

ITN however has only been in Grays Inn Road for about 15 years.

[Jason100]

Quiz Call comes from Teddington i think and ibuy used to aswell.

[swingaleg]

Originally Posted by Chorlton Fisher

The old Thames building was next to the huge Euston Tower. Thames was demolished some time ago and the building there now is the headquarters of Abbey. Very nice building.

I'm not sure that precisely right............

The old Thames TV building was attached to the Euston Tower building wasn't it ?..........if so, there is now a Pret and an open square, Triton Square.........the Abbey Building being on the other side of the Square, where the Post Office used to be.......

[mrymuc]

Originally Posted by swingaleg

The old Thames TV building was attached to the Euston Tower building wasn't it ?..........if so, there is now a Pret and an open square, Triton Square.........the Abbey Building being on the other side of the Square, where the Post Office used to be.......

You're quite right, Thames did used to be next to Euston Tower - opposite Warren Street underground station. Many moons ago, I was often around that area hanging around outside Capital Radio (in the Euston Tower) waiting to see various DJs - I was only 14 or so. In fact, one of the benches outside may well have my name still carved into it.

At that time (around 1989) Euston Tower used to have "Capital 95.8" in all the windows, then between the Tower and Thames, were all the "Capital Gold" windows, and then the "Thames" windows.

Thames had a shop there too with loads of rubbish like tea towels and pencil cases with the Thames logo on them - or postcards of Thames personalities.

I worked in the Prudential building after that (the mirror building) but by that time Capital and Thames were long gone :-( Oh the good old days....

[RadioRob]

Originally Posted by mrymuc

Thames had a shop there too with loads of rubbish like tea towels and pencil cases with the Thames logo on them

Probably valuable rubbish one day, so hang on to it if you bought any.

ITN was indeed nearby prior to its Grays Inn Road move. They were in Wells Street, just south of Euston Road. and that's not far from Broadcasting House.

Other nearby broadcasting houses: 200 Oxford Street (home of the BBC World Service for many years); Harwood House in Hanover Square where BBC Radio London started life.

[swingaleg]

Originally Posted by mrymuc

Many moons ago, I was often around that area hanging around outside Capital Radio (in the Euston Tower) waiting to see various DJs - I was only 14 or so. In fact, one of the benches outside may well have my name still carved into it.

The benches have all gone..........the whole of the building surrounding the Tower was demolished and rebuilt. There's no 'Foyer' any more where the kids used to congregate to see the stars at Capital Radio........where that used to be is now a Tax Office...........

There's a Sainsbury........and on the Triton Square side is a Pret, Starbucks and a Wine Bar.........the pavement area that used to be outside 'Capital' and 'Thames TV' has been 'landscaped with little gardens over the 'grids' ( which I assumed were there to let fumes escape from the underpass)


With the new Abbey Building, the new Office building behind it, the Rank Xerox building, the Pru and now the huge new University College Hospital along with Euston Tower, it's like a mini Chicago.............

[Toxteth O'Grady]

Originally Posted by swingaleg

I'm not sure that precisely right............

The old Thames TV building was attached to the Euston Tower building wasn't it ?..........if so, there is now a Pret and an open square, Triton Square.........the Abbey Building being on the other side of the Square, where the Post Office used to be.......

The Euston Centre was a big, long 60's style office block that was along the Euston Road. The only bit that now remains is the section behind the Euston Tower. The end of what is left is covered by a big mural of an electric fan,

If you imagine the building stretching from the electric fan down the road instead of the new buildings, that is what the building there used to look like, the section where the fan and The Abbey is was Thames. The section under the tower used to look the same too, that was Capital.

There is atill a legecy of broadcasting on the site, Fox Kids had offices in one of the new buildings (not sure iif Jetix stayed there after the rebrand) and The Community Channel has it's offices in part of Triton Square

[Toxteth O'Grady]

Originally Posted by RadioRob

Other nearby broadcasting houses: 200 Oxford Street (home of the BBC World Service for many years); Harwood House in Hanover Square where BBC Radio London started life.

Oxford Street and Hanover Square are quite a distance, even nearer is the original Channel 4 building and all the post production places that sprung up around it. The old ATV and ITC buildin in Foley Street, and TalkbackThames building in Tottenham Court Road which is also where Channel 5 is transmitted from. BBC London is fairly near too

[swingaleg]

Originally Posted by Toxteth O'Grady

There is atill a legecy of broadcasting on the site, Fox Kids had offices in one of the new buildings (not sure iif Jetix stayed there after the rebrand) and The Community Channel has it's offices in part of Triton Square

Yep........you often see loads of scruffy people hanging around outside 'The Community Channel'...........

They also seem to do a lot of filming on the pavement outside their building............

Fox Kids is in the building on 'the other side' of the Abbey Building, next to it going towards Gt Portland Street tube

[Toxteth O'Grady]

Originally Posted by swingaleg

Fox Kids is in the building on 'the other side' of the Abbey Building, next to it going towards Gt Portland Street tube

Yes it's the big white tower. Are they still there? the signage outside came down when it got renamed Jetix

[Dewain deBley]

Originally Posted by swingaleg

... With the new Abbey Building, the new Office building behind it, the Rank Xerox building, the Pru and now the huge new University College Hospital along with Euston Tower, it's like a mini Chicago...

Once, in a previous incarnation, I went up to Euston Tower for an interview with PO (not BT !) Telecomms ( long before Dame Hilda and her spivs got their grubby little mitts on it !).

Most of the upper floors were taken over by the PO. The more famous PO Tower, of course, is just down the road, going south - I've forgotten its name. Sadly, I never got the job, my life would have changed completely, if I had !

I remember a radio prog being broadcast from the glassy foyer - was it Mavis Thingummy - I've forgotten her name.

I seem to remember this whole Euston area was notorious for two things prior to the building of Euston Tower, apart from the inner city urban deprivation of the 40s, 50s, 60s.

It was the haunt of one Rachman, the crooked landlord.

It was the lair of one Mr Christie of 10 Rillington Place, and his anaesthetic proclivities. I suppose the film gives a true representation of the poor quality of life in those days.
Now it appears to be a City fit only for Yuppies, Spivs, Charalatans, and Parasites from the City !

Eeeh , Where did 30 years go to ? I got out of London, just as Thatch came in - the Town was not big enough for the two of us

[swingaleg]

Rillington Place was miles from here.........it was over Ladbroke Grove way...........

I didn't know Rachman operated around here........I'll have a google, see what turns up


We've got Laurence Corner, tailor to the student population.......