The LCC, 1960s

I won a scholarship to the British School at Rome in my final year at the Royal College of Art and on my return I applied and obtained a post as consultant on decorative finishes for the London County Council's housing projects. This scheme enabled me to produce murals and other relief finishes to be executed for foyers in housing blocks.

The London County Council was an enlightened body. It booked beds in private hospitals for the sick children of its ratepayers and reserved sanatoria in Switzerland for children with acute chest maladies. The L.C.C. also had residential schools which it ran on public-school lines for children in need of care. Unfortunately, it was destroyed as a unified body, but not before it put arts and crafts into its public housing.

In the 60s the L.C.C. was efficient but extremely careful economically. For example, I received instructions that areas I considered would benefit from some decorative treatment should not cost more to execute than the material it was to replace.

An example of work for the London County Council. I probably did this in 1961-62.

1	No. 1 shows how to cut the red clay master
2	No. 2 removing the clay from the concrete cast
3	No. 3 assembling the slabs on a vertical wall
An Alternative 4	No. 4 glazing the tile with polyester resin
5	...giving a rich, deep, glaze to the finished assembled panels (No. 5 & 6)
6
7	No. 7 a similar finish but used externally.
Projects The following pictures describe a few projects produced under the L.C.C. scheme. Each project shows various innovative methods
8	No. 8 was cast against glass. Sand and resin are squeezed through a plastic bag rather like icing a cake.
9	No. 9 Thus each detail had to be worked back to front. It was always a surprise when removing the panel from the glass to see that it was okay.
10	No. 10 The Battle of Waterloo in a London Underpass.
11	No. 11 A carved cement wall cut whilst the cement was wet
12	No. 12 A free-standing "play sculpture" of interlinked dolphins.