Farmer and Dark
Architects
Partnership of Frankland Dark and F. Q. Farmer.
Designed:
- Keadby Power Station
- Belvedere Power Station (1954-60)
- Northfleet Power Station (1956-62)
They were largely responsible for the spread of functionalism in design of the power station buildings; foreshadowing the exposed services and machine aesthetic of "high-tech" architecture, the boilers were exposed to the open air. Such power stations designs included:
- Willington Power Station, Derbyshire (1959-62)
- West Thurrock Power Station (1962-5) a reworking of the Willington design.
"In the 1960s functionalism in power station design developed to exclude any unnecessary fenestration, detailing, or relief from the elevations of the plain, massive and block-like principal structures, as for example at Tilbury "B", completed in 1969 and reminiscent of Barking "B" and Dunston "B" in its simplicity, as well as at Kingsnorth Power Station (1963-73) and Littlebrook "D" (1974-83)."
"At the Isle of Grain Power Station (1971-c1980) Farmer and Dark produced a return to monumentality without compromising on the functional expression of form and the elimination of superfluous detail. The visual impact of the huge buildings is both softened and made more dramatic through the incorporation of curved eaves and sloping roof lines. "
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Historic England