Apollo Pavilion

or by some as 'The Monstrosity'Fact|date=February 2007.

The Pavilion is made of reinforced concrete that was cast in situ. The design is made up of large geometric planes of white concrete, the only decoration being two oval murals. The structure spans a small lake that framed a large geometric statue by Pasmore. In its original form, the Pavilion provides a pedestrian link between the two halves of the estate. It is named Apollo as a reference to the optimism of the Apollo Space Program.

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.’

The Pavilion was immediately the focus of local complaint and a councillor Joan Maslin mounted a campaign against the work. It became a popular hangout for local youths and was victim of graffiti and vandalism. When the Peterlee Development Corporation that commissioned the £33,000 work was disbanded, the local council refused responsibility for cleaning and repair. As a result the concrete turned grey and began to decay.

In 1982 Victor Pasmore met with residents at a public meeting at the pavilion. Pasmore suggested that the graffiti if anything had humanised the piece and suggested that the solution would be not to remove the piece but the disruptive families that were abusing it. It was agreed that the stair access would be blocked off and the structure used for planting.

In opposition to the residents' campaign, a friends group was organised by regional artists and cultural leaders. In 1998 English Heritage recommended the structure be given listed status but this was declined by Tony Banks in deference to the local political issue. In 2004 the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead commissioned Jane and Louise Wilson to make a video installation featuring the Pavilion. The future of the Apollo Pavilion remains uncertain. It is currently proposed to restore the structure and enlarge the lake so that the Pavilion will be less accessible.

The work remains a rare example in the UK of a large scale experiment in the synthesis of art and architecture. 'It stands today,' says Richard Cork, 'as a fascinating example of how contemporary artists can translate their concerns into wholly architectural terms, and how even the restricted budget of a new town is able, given the necessary degree of commitment, to yield funding for a purely imaginative feat.'

In 2006 road signs were installed for directions to the Apollo Pavilion at the Passfield Way and Oakerside Drive junction saying 'Oakerside Drive leading to Pasmore's Apollo Pavilion'. Farther down Oakerside Drive next to the Hearts of Oak public house is a road sign for the car park to visit the Pavilion and another sign for the footpath leading to the Pavilion.

Following a meeting at the Pavilion in September 2008 it has been agreed that the structure will be repaired with lottery funding. It is said that the previously removed stairway to the upper level will be replaced to give public access once more. Local residents already suffer from annoyance by youths who congregate here to take part in illegal underage drinking so the re-opening of the upper level will give a greater potential for nuisance. The lake itself becomes covered in a thick algae in any sunny weather and smells terribly, often to the noses of residents some streets away. Cleaning is carried out irregularly and creates a noxious aroma to the sludge that runs away into the stream towards the dene. It is often a dumping place for shopping trolleys and wheelie bins and accumulates a large amount of empty beer bottles and cans. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2002/07/27/ppete27.xml

ee also

*Angel of the North

http://www.bbc.co.uk/tees/content/image_galleries/apollo_pavillion_gallery.shtml