Community Association

The Pavilion was built in 1969, at the same time as the Apollo moon missions. People may have had differing views about its artistic merit, but in those days Peterlee was created by a Development Corporation, which had ambitions and aspirations for the town.

In 1979 the assets of the town were handed over to the then Easington District Council, which lacked the resources to look after it. The structure gradually became a problem. It looked run down, was vandalised, and was a magnet for anti-social behaviour. So what was to be done?

Similar modernist works of art in London, such as the Penguin House in London Zoo attract international acclaim. Was Peterlee's only response to the decay of the structure to be to knock it down? It was even suggested that it be blown up, not a very practical solution.

Something clearly had to be done. So a group of us got together in 2002 and tried to convince the Council, local residents and potential funders that the Apollo Pavilion was worth preserving and was an asset to the community. In the end we managed to convince all three.

Thanks are owed to the local residents who were prepared to stick their necks out, to Colin Robson at Easington who laboured tirelessly to see the project through and of course to the Heritage Lottery Fund who thought we deserved the cash.

Well, we got there, and now the Pavilion has been restored. We still need the Community Association to explain the Pavilion to people and to deal with the ongoing issue of looking after it.

If you want to join us please contact me and I shall tell you about our meetings.

David Taylor-Gooby

Chair, Apollo Pavilion Community Association

Latest News from the Community Association

Contact:

David Taylor-Gooby
Tel: 0191 5870008 or 07793 114037
Email: David.Taylorgooby@btinternet.com