LONDON, ENGLAND.- Wendy Taylor’s landmark ’Timepiece’ sculpture, located near Tower Bridge, and a Hackney Secondary School by Erno Goldfinger, are among four historically and architecturally outstanding post-war buildings, and one sculpture, which Heritage Minister Andrew McIntosh announced plans to list today.
 
’Timepiece’, installed thirty years ago, is considered to be Taylor’s first mature work. The piece, which often features on London postcards, is both a sculpture and sundial and its installation initiated a revival of interest in the sundial as public sculpture.
 
Haggerston Girls School and School House was designed by international modernist architect, Erno Goldfinger, inspiration for Ian Fleming’s James Bond character of the same name. Goldfinger, who also built London’s Trellick Tower, used concrete in the expressive and classical design but it is distinctive for the large amount of timber that it contains.
 
Each of the nominated buildings, built between 1958 and 1965, is felt to be an important example of its type and illustrate the varied practices of modernism, classical and neo-Georgian styles in the 1950s and 1960s.
 
The decision to list the structures was taken on the advice of English Heritage.
Revealing the listings Andrew McIntosh said: “Across Britain today, the old and the modern sit side by side sometimes comfortably, too often less so. In its own right, post-war British architecture can be innovative and elegant, but also practical in its approach to design and living. The best parts of these post-war buildings deserve listing in the same way as their older counterparts.”
 
Local people and interest groups now have the chance to tell the Minister whether they believe the buildings merit the extra protection that listing provides.
 
The main purpose of listing a building is to ensure that care will be taken over decisions affecting its future, that any alterations respect the particular character and interest of the building, and that the case for its preservation is taken fully into account in considering the merits of any redevelopment proposals.
 
’Timepiece’ sculpture (1973) St Katharine’s Dock, London Borough of Tower Hamlets by Wendy Taylor (1945 -) Grade II - The ’Timepiece’ sundial sculpture was designed by artist, Wendy Taylor, and installed in 1973 on a prominent site between the Tower Hotel and Tower Bridge.

Taylor, who studied under Sir Anthony Caro at St Martin’s School of Art, incorporated industrial or dockside objects in much of her work from the 1970s onwards. This piece functions as an ’upper’ equinoctial sundial because it is aligned on the plane of the equator and the time can only be read when the sun is north of the equator. It consists of a giant steel ring, on which the hours are marked with raised dots. The ring is supported on three chains, which spring from a single point on the quayside together with the gnomon, or pointer, that resembles an oversized dockyard nail. The installation of ’Timepiece’ marked the beginnings of a renaissance in large-scale public sculptures and inspired a revival of interest in sundials for public spaces.

Mid Bedfordshire District Council Offices, formally the Ampthill Rural District Council  Offices (1963-5) 12 Dunstable Street, Ampthill by Sir Albert Richardson (1880-1964) Grade II - The Ampthill Rural District Council Offices are an unusual example of pure late classicism from the 1960s, which retain most of their original features. The Council Offices are considered to be the last major work of architect, Sir Albert Richardson, who was commissioned to design them in 1961 and died in the year that they were completed. Richardson was one of the most outspoken critics of the modern movement and towards the end of his life encouraged a public image as ’last of the Georgians’.  Much of Richardson’s career was dedicated to teaching, as Professor of Architecture at University College London, and sympathetic restoration projects, particularly in the post war period using his expertise in Georgian architecture. This work includes St James’s, Piccadilly, St Alfege, Greenwich, and Trinity House in the City of London. Many of the buildings built by Richardson have been demolished. Almost all of his pre-war work was commercial and in a surprisingly modern style influenced by Adolf Loos. Many post-war buildings that he built were flats and houses characterised by their neo-Georgian style.

Haggerston Girls School (1964-5) Weymouth Terrace, London Borough of Hackney by Erno Goldfinger Grade II - Haggerston Girls Secondary School is the only English secondary school to be designed by internationally regarded architect, Erno Goldfinger, who studied under Auguste Perret in Paris. Goldfinger’s work is unique in Britain in that it combines the influences of Perret, one of the first architects to develop the use of concrete aesthetically, with detailing and forms derived from Le Corbusier. Goldfinger knew both architects personally. The elevations of the School follow the mathematical proportions of the Golden Section and it includes a double-height circulation spine with balcony.  The School is distinctive for the large amount of timber used in the construction and contains some of Goldfinger’s boldest and most handsome public interiors including bush hammered concrete and coffered ceilings in the entrance and hall block.

School House at Haggerston Girls School (1964-5) Weymouth Terrace, London Borough of Hackney Grade II - The School House at Haggerston Girls School was designed by Erno Goldfinger as an integral part of the School itself.  The House illustrates Goldfinger’s skill for adapting his interest in the use of tough materials, like dark brick and concrete, and refining them for use on a domestic scale with skilful use of proportions. 

3 Clarkson Road (1958) Cambridge by Trevor Dannatt Grade II - This small, two storey, detached house was designed by Trevor Dannatt, architect and author of Modern Architecture in Britain (1959), and completed in 1958. This was a major commission for Dannatt and is the only one of his small houses to survive. The ambitious design is a modern interpretation of the 18th-century classical piano nobile.  The house incorporates clean lines, careful detailing and classical proportions and, unusually, its main living area is on the upper level in order to capitalise on light and views.  Now aged 82, Dannatt is still working, most recently on the conversion of Greenwich Hospital to the University of Greenwich.