Shoppers have been taking the chance to say goodbye to an iconic Macclesfield town centre building before it is flattened.
Bulldozers are continuing work to demolish the old Cheshire Building Society to allow the expansion of the neighbouring Grosvenor Centre mall, where four large new shops will be built.
But as the old building society is taken apart, residents with memories of the building have been taking the chance to get a final look at it.
The 100-year-old building was originally the old post office and telephone exchange.
It then became the headquarters for the Cheshire Building Society, which was established in Macclesfield in 1870, but closed after merging with Nationwide in 2008.
Grosvenor Centre manager Ed Kennedy said: “The response from the people of Macclesfield has been fantastic and plenty of shoppers have been taking time to stop and watch the demolition. People have memories of the building.
“The other day three ladies were peering through the grill and one said she used to work at the post office and that her daughter worked in the building society, and asked for a brick as a souvenir. We said of course and cleaned one up for her to take home. People are proud of their town. People are glad to hear we’re keeping the original facade of the building society.”
Eskmuir Securities, which owns the shopping centre, is spending £11m on the expansion. It is hoped the new extension will attract big brands.
A new glass canopy will be built over the entrance to the mall on Castle Street and the new shops will be linked up with the rest of the Grosvenor Centre.
The demolition machines are picking out steel, timber and brick for recycling, so far filling 66 lorries with brick and rubble and 17 with steel.
Mr Kennedy said: “It’s a huge undertaking and I’m thrilled with the progress. The structural steel work is set to be complete in the summer so shoppers will be able to see the skeleton of the new development growing over the coming weeks.
“We’re looking forward to having all of the works completed in Spring 2018.
“We’re in talks with a number of interested parties over the new units and we’ll be announcing them in due course.
“It’s an exciting time for Macclesfield town centre.”
To see a video of the demolition work, go to macclesfieldexpress.co.uk.
