Apollo Pavilion

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Apollo Pavilion (aka Pasmore Pavilion)

The Apollo Pavilion is a controversial piece of public art in the new town of Peterlee in County Durham in the North East of England. The structure is also known as the Pasmore Pavilion after its designer Victor Pasmore or by some as 'The Monstrosity'^{[citation needed]}.

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.