Smithdon High School

Image: © Tiger Taken: 29 Apr 2013

The school, in Downs Road, was completed in 1954 to a design by Alison and Peter Smithson and is believed to be the earliest example in western Europe of the Brutalist style of architecture. It has aroused strong feelings of either love or loathing among the generations of pupils and teachers who have had to work within its confines. The black panels beneath the windows were installed, along with wooden sub-frames, in the 1980s in an attempt to mitigate the huge temperature differences arising from the original full-height glazing which was attached directly to the steel frame of the building, causing the glass either to fall out or simply to shatter as the frame expanded or contracted with temperature changes. For a view of the south front see Image

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