IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Leaping Birds Rise, WALTON-ON-THAMES, KT12 1GP

Walton Court was built in the 1960's and formerly the headquarters building for Birds Eye and Unilever. The Grade 2 listed building is now awaiting new tenants.

This sculpture is in the grounds of Image and features at the start of the preview of the British Pathé video newsreel here http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=2600 It was made of bronze by John McCarthy in 1960/61. As with the building the sculpture is a Grade II Listed structure.

Walton Court was built in 1960/1 as the headquarters office of Birds Eye to the designs of the architectural practice of Sir John Burnet, Tait and Partners. It was one of the first "out of London town" prestige offices to be built for a major company, and its high architectural quality has merited Grade II Listed status. It is based on a concrete frame with glass cladding and natural anodised aluminium on dark blue vitreous enamelled infill panels. In the centre of the building are two internal courtyards, where Birds Eye used to keep flamingoes and penguins to entertain employees! For a glimpse inside at the time please see the preview of the British Pathé video newsreel here http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=2600 There is a view of the opposite end of the building here Image and a close up of the sculpture here Image The sculpture is also shown at the start of the newsreel clip. Walton Court was subsequently occupied by Unilever, but its approximate 175,000 square feet or approximate 16,000 square metres of space is sadly currently empty. The building's website is here http://www.waltoncourt.co.uk/ The building was constructed on the site of a large plot of allotment gardens on Station Avenue, and very close to Walton-on-Thames station.

The building is empty at the moment but was formerly offices for Bird’s Eye Foods. It was built in 1961-2 to a design by architects Sir John Burnet, Tait and Partners, with Bylander, Waddell and Partners as engineers. The building is Grade II listed. The building reflected the 1960s predilection for geometric op-art forms in the design of its curtain walling which is enhanced by the reflective pool running the length of the building. It has a precast concrete and pre-stressed concrete frame. Floor construction is of high alumina cement (HAC) beams at 700/750 mm intervals, supporting concrete slab floors, giving an office floor span of 42’ (c13m), avoiding internal columns. http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1271706

Modern is actually a design rather than an age, these were probably built around 1970.

They looked very nice inside as well from what I could see through the windows.