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Apollo Pavilion (Pasmore Pavilion) Sunny Blunts Housing Estate, The Apollo Pavilion, like the space mission for which it was named, was the fruit of an optimistic post-war climate. There was a general belief that good design assured social harmony, and for this reason Victor Pasmore (Master at Kings College Newcastle) was selected to act as consultant to the architects of the Peterlee New Town. The result was visually exciting flat-roof housing with brickwork and factory prefabricated timber infill panels. Today these radical designs are barely visible, concealed behind an abundance of PVC windows and pitched roofs. Only the pavilion remains to hint at a different history. The idea for the Pavilion stemmed from the need to emphasise the focal point made by the small lake which separated the road from the pedestrian system. The Pavilion is actually a sort of abstract concrete bridge spanning the shallow lake. Victor Pasmore described it as ‘an architecture and sculpture of purely abstract form through which to walk, in which to linger and on which to play, a free and anonymous monument which, because of its independence, can lift the activity and psychology of an urban housing community on to a universal plane.’ Pasmore was certainly successful in that as indeed, many people ‘lingered’ and ‘played’, unfortunately, not of the innocent sort which was envisaged: the sculpture became canvas for graffiti and meeting ground for unsociable activities. Back in 1998, the Pavilion became a cause celebre when English
Heritage recommended that the structure be listed Grade II* and
that Tony Banks, the then Secretary of State, refused to take EH’s
advice partly because of local ‘public hostility’ and
the fact that it was the scene for ‘undesirable activities’.
Fortunately, demolition now seems unlikely; as a result of recent favourable publicity, (a video installation by artists Jane and Louise Wilson at the Baltic gallery) public opinion has swung in favour of the Pavilion. A steering group formed in March 2002 by concerned local residents and members of the artistic community have ambitious plans for the pavilion. Proposals for both seasonal and permanent structures with controlled bridge access are being discussed to allow the pavilion to be used as an event space. This in combination with the conversion of an original house into museum would turn this pure abstract form into a place for interaction in Peterlee. The proposal engages both residents and the expanding market of cultural tourism, and would ensure that the only surviving element embodying the idealism of its time lives on. Of course these grand plans can be accomplished only if the steering group can secure funds for their proposals. James Furlong
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