Post War
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Altnagelvin Hospital was the first purpose built hospital of the UK National Health Service. Designed by Yorke Rosenberg, & Mardall and built between 1956 and 1959 it was the first major piece of Modern Architecture in the city. The design was influenced by the theories of the French Architect Le Corbusier. It sat as a tower block within a parkland setting and was complemented by two large round entrance pillars, of enormous scale, clad in brown schist, and by smaller buildings such as the Nurses Home. A statue of Princess Macca, the
first person to build a hospital in Ulster, by F.E. McWilliams, was also erected in front of the building. This reinforced a primitive theme apparent in the detail of the buildings. The building has since been reclad and surrounded by extensions. One important building which does survive unchanged from the period is Faughan Valley Secondary School in Drumahoe. Designed by architect Ian Campbell in 1955 and opened in 1959, it is considered to be one of his best school designs. This design uses cubism as its inspiration and reuses the forms of European modernism to create an overall composition around a functional plan. ‘Piloti’ are used along the entrance façade and around the sides. The building’s water tower is raised as a feature and clad in timber- a precursor of a more recent architectural trend. Inside, careful disposition of windows creates a light filled space. |
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