post war design in black and white

Just made it back to the V&A to take a proper look at British Design 1948–2012: Innovation in the Modern Age.   Timed to coincide with the 2012 Olympics it “celebrates the best of British post-war art and design from the 1948 ‘Austerity Games’ to the present day”, and is full of fascinating objects and juxtapositions.  On my first visit (when we were running an  event at the V&A on Coventry Cathedral with the WMF, and included a quick tour of the exhibition with curator Ghislaine Wood), I didn’t get beyond the 1950s— and a couple of hours is barely enough to get a good overview.

Loved seeing David Bowie’s costume up close (kind of suprising to see it’s knitted with bits of lurex threaded yarn–very low tech)– that’s the sort of thing you need an exhibition for, and a book just doesn’t deliver.

Was facinated by Hugh Casson’s Festival of Britain perforated metal chairs (much less well known than Ernest Race’s Antelope ones)–and particually by the fact they came in soft pastel colours: baby pink, rather than bright reds etc.  And amid all the colour of the post war period these two black and white objects stood out–  the Homemaker plate and the poster for an early show at Denys Lasdun’s fabulous National Theatre

C20 trip organisers’ nightmare vision?

No it’s not our members stuck up there!– it’s the maquete for Richard Wilson’s commission at the Bexhill Pavillion (itself commissioned in 1935 by the 9th Earl De La Warr and designed by architects Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff) if you’ve never been it’s wonderful–we helped stop it become a Wetherspoons’ pub.

The coach is a sculpture called “Hang On A Minute Lads, I’ve Got A Great Idea…” and references the final scene of the film The Italian Job. I like the fact that it links the rooftop of a second C20 building that C20 Society has been involved with to an iconic Michael Caine film. Sadly the first one, the “Get Carter Car Park” in Gateshead was demolished in 2010 (Brutalist design by Rodney Gordon when he worked for the Owen Luder Partnership, opened in 1967, staring role in the film 1971).

Sad that Richard Wilson’s coach now can’t go on tour there…!

SEE IT AT DWP from Sat July 7th http://www.dlwp.com/event/richard-wilson2

Utter destruction: more demolition images of ACC’s ‘Caterpillar’ MLO

In the current climate of pressing environmental considerations and awareness of the need to retain and re-use existing building stock, a sound building is being demolished. This was completed as recently as the 1980s, by a distinguished architectural practice whose oeuvre includes Grade II* listed buildings, and was designed specifically to be adaptable to alternative use (C20 Letter to Dacorum BC – objections to demolition). What can one add…….. 

Richard Bryan – arcaidimages

 

Aldington, Craig and Collinge’s ‘Caterpillar’ MLO (Hemel Hempstead): demolition image

Utter disgrace….. Following from our earlier blog entry, images of this totally cruel and unacceptable act:

Outrage as demolition of Aldington, Craig and Collinge’s ‘Caterpillar’ MLO (Hemel Hempstead) starts without permission

(Richard Bryant – Arcaid Images)

The Society are outraged to hear that demolition of the ‘Caterpillar’ Mechanised Letter Office in Hemel Hempstead has started without permission from Dacorum Borough Council (demolition image added above). The Council responded to an application for demolition stating that the demolition of the building could cause a significant impact on the surroundings of the site, the site is not considered to benefit from permitted development rights, and the proposed demolition does not benefit from exception from control.

A report on the building features in the current issue of the Society’s Magazine and the work of Aldington, Craig and Collinge is presented in one of the monographs co-published by the Society, English Heritage and RIBA Publishing, as part of our series Twentieth Century Architects.

The story is being followed by Building Design and the local press. It is worth noting, however, that contrary to certain reports in the local press, the Society has not objected to the creation of new homes. What we have called for is the retention and re-use of this very special building. (For a copy of the Society’s representation to the Council see here: 12.05.09 LETTER from C20 Society to Dacorum BC – objections to proposed demolition)

Concrete hippopotamus mystery

Love this concrete hippopotamus sculpture, on the cover of English Heritage’s guidence document on Local Listing, published this month.   Actually he is one of four, all look like they come out of the same mould.  This one’s a bit chipped on the hoof, but otherwise in  really great shape (nice aggregate!).  The herd can be found in Killingworth, North Tyneside, but not much seems to be know about them (can our NORTH EAST GROUP help out?).   They are much more realistic than their very popular relation in Walsall–see below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Walsall hippo is much more cartoonish, but equally sit-able upon. BBC Black Country tried in vain to find out about him, but comments on http://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/content/articles/2009/05/26/hippo_feature.shtml

show just how loved he is (hope he’s Locally Listed too).  Any other concrete hippos out there?–I’d love one for my garden…

Concrete hippo fan mail from the BBC site follows: Kerry Welsh: All of my friends met at the hippo in the early 80′s. I have a memory of a pink monkey on his back at some point, anyone else remember?

Paul Clifford: Always used “the Hippo” as a meeting place throughout the late 70s and the 80s – was gutted when they moved it a “short distance”!

Luke Clements I have seen this Hippo move around since the Eighties.A pigeon statue might be more relevant to the town.

Diane I walk past him every day on the way to work, and he always bring a smile to my face, love him to bits !!!

Paul Takes me back to my school days in the late eighties! It was a meeting place on a Saturday when you had a date from school!

wendy mills My two love the hippo! Let him stay

Vince The Hippos great but I worry about the reason for having a two-faced Roman God nearby!

Kieron Young I think its bostin.

 

Councillors reject listed fire station tower

Birmingham City Council’s planning committee has overwhelmingly voted against controversial tower proposals for the listed fire station building.

Just two councillors voted in favour and 10 against the 23 storey tower in the station’s inner courtyard that if passed, would overwhelm and significantly detract from this important 1930s civic building in Birmingham city centre.

Planning officers are now drafting reasons for refusal which are expected to be voted on by the committee on Thursday 24 May.

In the listing description English Heritage recognise the national importance of this building as “one of the finest fire bridgade ensembles of the mid-twentieth century”. Built in 1935 to the designs of the city surveyors Herbert Humphries and Herbert J. Manzoni, this impressive neo-georgian and ‘Moderne’ style civic building was designed to form a terminal feature to Corporation Street framed between the Victoria Law Courts and the Methodist Central Hall.

Its portland stone entrance arch in particular provides an important landmark, and enhances the townscape of the conservation area surrounding it.