It'll be all right on the night ...

These pictures, taken on Friday, show the intense effort to get things ready for today's grand opening of the Flemingate complex, shall we call it a complex or centre, well whatever. By intense I mean, of course, standing around talking in little groups, that always seems to get things done, I've found.

They've avoided going for the steel and glass architecture of so many new shopping malls and instead gone for the bricks everywhere approach in keeping with the style of the town. The resulting facades are just a tad dull, uninspiring and somewhat disappointing in my humble opinion, others may think it's wonderful.

Will this development bring in loads of customers flocking to the "under-retailed" town? Will the shops in the old town suffer as footfall flees to the wrong side of the tracks? Can these retail outlets survive in the era of ordering stuff from online warehouses? Don't look at me, what do you think I am psychic?

Clearly it's not all finished just yet.

Oh look! Somebody doing some work!

This hotel puts me in mind of a place of detention.

Flammengaria

From the 12th century wool was being exported from Beverley and in return traders from Flanders set up home and shop in  the area to the east of the Minster by the beck. The area became known as Flammengaria and later Flemingate. It is quite possibly the oldest street in Beverley. Fast forward a few hundred years and a narrow lane intended for horse drawn or, more likely ox-drawn wagons, is to be a main way-in to the new Flemingate development. There's big stores, a cinema, an hotel, 130 new houses, a brand new college and a 500 space car park. It opens tomorrow so not surprisingly there's a mad rush to get the roadworks finished on time, this picture taken on Friday. Will this old thoroughfare cope with all that extra traffic? I'm saying nothing ...