City On The Move

NEWS: A ‘pixelated mosaic’ mural depicting more than a thousand years of the history of County Durham is under threat of demolition, with C20 Society joining Professor Bennett Zon of Durham University, Durham City Trust, the Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Association (TACS), City of Durham Parish Council and Jackfield Conservation Studio in campaigning to save and relocate the artwork. The large ceramic tile mural was designed by the Durham County Council architects, G. R. Clayton and G. W. Gelson in 1962-63, and affixed above the entrance of the now vacant County Hall building. It depicts the story of Durham, from the Venerable Bede and the Viking raid on Lindisfarne (793 CE), to the founding of the cathedral (1093), the Penshaw Monument (1844), Captain James Cook (1728-79), the county’s collieries and the steel works at Redcar. Conservation experts at The Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society believe it to be the one of the earliest examples in the country of a proto-digital pixelated mosaic design, where each pixilation is made up of a single mosaic tesserae – predating widespread digital imagery and early computer games by 20 years or more. It was announced lasy year that County Hall would be demolished ahead of the council headquarters moving to a new site, prompting C20 Society to submit a listing application in June 2025. However, Historic England declined to recommend it for statutory listing, their assessment concluding: ‘[the building] possesses design features more reminiscent of the early post-war period and is therefore old-fashioned and lacks innovation.’ ➡️ Read more: c20society.org.uk/news/moves…