IT may not have been pretty to look at or architecturally significant, but the town centre ramp was one of the few genuine landmarks in Newton Aycliffe.
Love it or loathe it, the demise of the pedestrian precincts centrepiece has sparked some misty-eyed ramp-related reminiscences amongst Newtonians past and present.
Construction of the ramp, recently demolished to make way for a revamp of Aycliffes main shopping centre, started in the late 1960s as part a pedestrianisation programme.
Shoppers would ascend the gentle slope to access the town centres second tier, linking Lower and Upper Beveridge Way - far more exciting than the metal steps at the far end of the ramp, or the spiral staircase added later.
Upstairs there was a Chinese restaurant, a barbers, the first Newton Press printing shop and the rent office.
But for many eager youngsters, like exiled Newtonian Colin Lindley, a trip up the ramp meant just one thing - JH Harding & Co.
Aycliffe town centre as it was in December 1961, pre-pedestrianisation
A town centre mainstay for several years, Hardings toy shop was an Aladdins Cave of treasures, stocked ceiling high with shelf upon shelf of delights.
It was the place where you got your first bike, where you spent your pocket money on Matchbox cars and plastic soldiers, or a place simply to go and look and the wonders on offer.
Colin, now living in Staffordshire, wrote: To me, the ramp means Harding's toy shop and nothing else - a new bag of marbles every week and the vast array of toys on view.
The ramp was also a playground, generations of children using it as a crucial element of some game or other to stave off the boredom - often to the annoyance of parents and other shoppers.
Aycliffe resident Ian Emmerson remembers almost having his new bike confiscated after helter-skeltering down the slope to test how fast it would go, which earned him a severe reprimand.
He also recalled a near disastrous episode when working for the town centre management team.
Early one market day morning I was using the tractor to spread salt and decided to salt the ramp - a forbidden exercise.
All went well until I was coming down, lost control on ice and nearly wiped out stall holders setting up!
But perhaps the greatest legacy of the ramp is not the way it looked or the function it performed - but the way it sounded.
Former Woodham Comprehensive School pupil Dylan Wilson sparked a recent debate on Facebook page Whats So Good About Newton Aycliffe? with his recollections of ramp-reverb.
For Dylan, the satisfying noise which echoed throughout the town centre by striking a coin or keys - or even a slap of the palm - against the metal railings which ran along the length of the incline is the abiding memory of the concrete structure which was a defining symbol of Newton Aycliffe town centre for more than 40 years.
The ramp was bulldozed last month and many will not be sad to see it go. But for others it represents the end of an era.
END OF AN ERA: The ramp is demolished
Do you have memories of the ramp or Newton Aycliffe town centre? Contact Andrew White on 01325-505054, or email andrew.white@nne.co.uk.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here