Thereby hang tales...
Here, as hinted in the previous post, are a few examples of the decorative Doulton panels from the blocks of flats in the Sidney Street estate in Somers Town, north of St Pancras. The ceramic panels, made in about 1937 by the artist Gilbert Bayes, seem to depict scenes from fairy tales. There's a very obvious Little Mermaid rescuing her prince (above), a young woman with swans (is it The Swan Princess, or some other tale featuring swans?) and another young woman, this time with an elaborate headdress, about to kiss a young man, this time with pigs on either side (The Princess and the Swineherd, presumably). The stylised medieval dress, flat colours, and faces in profile give quite a 1930s feel to the panels, and the decorations are in keeping with the spacious courtyard and careful architectural details, all of which help to raise these blocks above the norm for social housing. It feels right, somehow, that these buildings should have decoration that's diverting and engaging and that adds a splash of colour to an area that would have been grey, sooty, and smoky in the 1930s when the flats were built.
7 comments:
I had no idea about these! Will have to go and take a look...
Anna: Glad you like them. They are certainly worth a visit. Look out for the washing line posts and the ornamental clock too!
I remember visiting Somers Town in the early 1980s to look at the Gilbert Bayes decorative finials on the washing line posts. Made by Doulton, they were then still in place. I am not sure what has happened to them except three appeared this June at an auction house in Salisbury. They sold for between 6 and 7000 pounds each! I was surprised to find them in the auction since the Somers Town Estate is, I think, listed. Prior to the auction, I emailed Camden Council conservation office but, sadly, received no response ...
Anon: that's very interesting. When I passed by recently, the decorative tops to the washing line posts seemed to be there, but I heard that they are replacements, not the originals.
Dear Phillip
Can you help.? These are being sold in a private gallery - I noticed in Camden New Journal - as a Somers Town resident, I loved seeing them - please advise as to how to get them back to their original intended location!
http://www.camdennewjournal.com/SomersTowngallery
resident filmaker- Diana
somerstownwishes.net
have added to my blog just saying!
http://somerstownplan.info/somers-town-is-a-steal/
Diana: You need some advice about this from people who specialize in conservation and related matters. I think you're in the Borough of Camden, in which case the Camden Civic Society might be able to advise you. Their website is at: http://ccs.openpathways.org.uk/
Also SAVE Britain's Heritage campaign for buildings at risk. Their website:
http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/index.php
I hope this helps, and good luck!
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