John Bancroft (architect)
Encyclopedia
John Bancroft was a British architect
noted for his Brutalist
designs for the Greater London Council
.
He joined the Architects’ Department of the GLC in 1957 and led the project to build Pimlico School from 1964 to 1970.. The building was demolished in 2010 by Westminster City Council
.
Bancroft explained the design of the school in a 2008 interview: "I wanted pupils to feel they were part of a community... So I divided the place up into a form of glass screen so you would get views down from the place that you would get views down from the level you were at down into the other parts of the school. And also I wanted to make sure that you could from time to time glimpse the outside so that you would know where you were in the great surrounding community that Pimlico is, and the buildings surrounding it"
His other school designs include the Elfrida Rathbone Girls' School in Camden and the Philippa Fawcett Teacher Training College in Streatham.
Bancroft was a staunch defender of the GLC's unpopular Brutalist landmarks. Though he did not design it, he argued that the County Hall Island Block
, vacant for 20 years, should have been listed as an early example of open-plan office architecture and expressed himself "quite horrified" by the demolition of Pimlico School. Bancroft devoted much of his career to building conservation and was an active member of the Twentieth Century Society
, the Victorian Society
and an avid supporter of the charity Docomomo
.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
noted for his Brutalist
Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
designs for the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
.
He joined the Architects’ Department of the GLC in 1957 and led the project to build Pimlico School from 1964 to 1970.. The building was demolished in 2010 by Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
.
Bancroft explained the design of the school in a 2008 interview: "I wanted pupils to feel they were part of a community... So I divided the place up into a form of glass screen so you would get views down from the place that you would get views down from the level you were at down into the other parts of the school. And also I wanted to make sure that you could from time to time glimpse the outside so that you would know where you were in the great surrounding community that Pimlico is, and the buildings surrounding it"
His other school designs include the Elfrida Rathbone Girls' School in Camden and the Philippa Fawcett Teacher Training College in Streatham.
Bancroft was a staunch defender of the GLC's unpopular Brutalist landmarks. Though he did not design it, he argued that the County Hall Island Block
County Hall, London
County Hall is a building in Lambeth, London, which was the headquarters of London County Council and later the Greater London Council . The building is on the bank of the River Thames, just north of Westminster Bridge, facing west toward the City of Westminster, and close to the Palace of...
, vacant for 20 years, should have been listed as an early example of open-plan office architecture and expressed himself "quite horrified" by the demolition of Pimlico School. Bancroft devoted much of his career to building conservation and was an active member of the Twentieth Century Society
The Twentieth Century Society
The Twentieth Century Society is a British charity which campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage from 1914 onwards. The society's interests extend to buildings or artefacts, whether important or humble, rare or commonplace, that characterise Twentieth Century Britain.The Sociey was...
, the Victorian Society
The Victorian Society
The Victorian Society is the national charity responsible for the study and protection of Victorian and Edwardian architecture and other arts in Britain....
and an avid supporter of the charity Docomomo
Docomomo International
Docomomo International is a non-profit organization whose full title is International Working Party for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement.-History:Its foundation was inspired by the work of ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and...
.