Register for Buildings and Sites of Architectural, Archaeological and Historical Importance in Jersey
La Collette Power Station, St Helier
This report has been prepared by Jersey Heritage as part of its responsibility under a Service Level Agreement to provide reports and recommendations to the Minister for Planning and Environment on the architectural, historical and archaeological significance of buildings and sites.
The assessment and recommendation are made in accordance with the existing criteria for assessment and designation of historic buildings. The report includes the views and advice offered by the Ministerial Registration and Listing Advisory Group.
Author of report: Roger Hills BA(Hons) MA DipBldgCons (RICS) IHBC Head of Historic Buildings
Date of report: 28th July 2009
File ref: HE0694
Current status
Not registered.
Summary of interest and advice offered
Power Station with main structural components of generating (or turbine) hall and chimney (or stack) - built on the site of the old Harbour Works at La Collette, St Helier. General Electric Company appointed to build the new power station, with Holst and Co. Ltd of Watford the engineers and Colin Morse of Weybridge the architect. Work began in late 1964 / early 1965, and was completed in November 1966.
An assessment of the architectural and heritage value of the power station was first published in C E B Brett’s overview of buildings in St Helier in 1976-77. Brett’s opinion was that,
“careful thought has obviously gone into the design of this: it has been built in the form of an elongated hexagon without taper or batter, encasing within its concrete walls several distinct flues, all of which terminate in a single oversailing lid. Below the top layer is a patterned series of small openings, like pigeon-holes for smoke-loving doves. A real attempt has been made to improve the starkness of an enormous chimney by conscious ‘design’; but the result, disappointingly, is fussy and graceless. By comparison with a brick Victorian mill-chimney, tapered always whether cylindrical or polygonal, this exercise has failed to gain in elegance what it has lost by departure from the functional.”
In 2009, the Minister for Planning and Environment requested that Jersey Heritage investigate whether La Collette Power Station is of special architectural and historical interest. Jersey Heritage commissioned Elain Harwood (Senior Architectural Investigator at English Heritage) to prepare a report on the power station to help understand the significance of the site. Elain was chosen to produce the report as she has a specialised knowledge of the subject and is currently writing a book for English Heritage and Yale University Press on English architecture 1945-75. This has involved extensive research into the history of power station design – including examining Battersea, Greenwich and other early listed power stations in the UK. Elain also inspected Bankside Power Station for listing in 1992 before its conversion to Tate Modern. Elain visited La Collette Power Station in May 2009.
The Harwood report is attached in full, but in summary:
- The report describes the generating hall (which forms the main body of the power station) as a simple structure comprising a reinforced concrete frame of seven bays, each spanned by a shallow-arched concrete shell vault. Cladding is in concrete (Ronez) blocks, which resemble over-scaled bricks when seen from a distance. An eighth bay and an adjoining block of laboratories and workshops were added in steel in 1993, along with a small block at the opposite end of the building, partly filled with controls. The steel is fireproofed with paint and some concrete cladding;
- The report advises that the architectural interest of the power station is limited and that the concrete structure of the generating / turbine hall is old-fashioned for its date - although it is a neat solution to the building’s sensitive setting. By the early 1960s, the wider availability of steel and advances in concrete technology offered alternatives;
- La Collette is of interest as a small power station of the mid-1960s which is still in use, and which demonstrates a wide range of machinery for generating electricity;
- Colin Morse is a little-known designer of commercial buildings in southern England; his work was not published in the architectural press.
The Harwood report concludes that La Collette Power Station’s significance is modest and entirely local, and that there appears to be no special case to be made for listing.
Elain Harwood’s report, together with other supporting papers, was presented to MRLAG for discussion at its meeting on 13th July 2009. The group was unanimous that the generating hall is not of interest and advised against its registration. However, members were in favour of registering the chimney as a BLI based on its architectural interest and townscape value. Members argued that the chimney is important in a local context - being part of the only operational power station in Jersey. Some members expressed the opinion that the chimney is of architectural interest - being well-designed and elegant in appearance. It was also argued that the chimney is of great townscape value - its dramatic presence adding to the scenic value of the town and coast.
Jersey Heritage recommendation
Evaluating Jersey’s post-war industrial heritage is problematic and the task is made all the more difficult when a building is the only example of its type in the Island. Understanding the significance of the local building, in this case, is aided through an appreciation of the development of power stations in a wider context.
However, we need to weigh up whether La Collette Power Station is one of the small number of post-war buildings in Jersey of exemplary architectural quality or great historical interest that merits registration as set out against the relevant local criteria, taking into consideration current knowledge about the power station, and the views expressed in the Harwood report and by MRLAG.
Judged against the general historical and architectural criteria for registration as BLI, it is the case that the power station retains its 1960s form and has some local historic interest by virtue of it being the island’s power station - built to meet the needs and demands of the island’s population in the second half of the 20th century - and the latest of various power stations built in the island since 1925. The scale of the chimney is striking and its elongated hexagonal plan, exposed metal flues and oversailing lid give it a distinctive visual appearance; although the generating hall lacks architectural interest. However, perhaps the most pertinent question in this case is whether the power station satisfies the criteria by making a significant and positive contribution to the architectural and historical identity, character and amenity of Jersey?
In addition, when a 20th century building is to be considered for inclusion in the register, it also needs to satisfy more specific criteria. It is agreed that, because of the nature of the building, the power station is an unusual building type within the island. However, it does not satisfy other criteria which are perhaps more relevant in this case: the power station is not a representative example of a recognisable design or stylistic movement; it does not display an innovative use of materials or structural techniques; and it is not by a well-known architect.
It is proposed that the case for protecting La Collette Power Station would be stronger if it had been shown to be a key example of a major development in power station design, or as significant for its engineering and technological aspects. As this is not the case, the key considerations therefore centre on the building’s perceived architectural interest and townscape value - the factors cited by MRLAG in favour of protection of the chimney.
La Collette Power Station has two main structural components - the generating hall and the chimney. These are intrinsically linked as parts of an integrated industrial site whose potential heritage value can only be understood by considering the whole site. The raison d’etre of the chimney is to take exhaust fumes away from the generating hall and it makes less sense as a structure in isolation.
It is proposed that the case for registration of an integrated industrial site is weakened if a significant part of that site is shown to be of no heritage interest. In the case of La Collette Power Station, it is agreed that the generating hall is not of interest and no arguments have been put forward in support of its registration - therefore the value of the power station as a heritage asset is diminished. Isolating a single part of the site for registration - in this case the chimney - would only be justified if that building is known to be an innovatory structure or is of sufficient architectural quality to stand on its own.
There is no doubt that the chimney has an enormous presence in the landscape, but it is questionable whether this contribution is an altogether positive one. It is the view of Jersey Heritage that although the chimney is of some architectural interest with efforts made to add visual appeal to the tall stack, the resulting design is not elegant and its scale and prominent location do not enhance the townscape or its coastal setting - although it is accepted that these are to a degree aesthetic judgements. However, taken together with the lack of interest pertaining to the rest of the site, and the known absence of other significance e.g. as a development in power station design or for engineering and technological aspects, the result is that there is insufficient interest to merit registration.
Taking all of these factors into consideration, Jersey Heritage’s recommendation is that La Collette Power Station should not be added to the register.
Justification relating to criteria
It is proposed that the registration of La Collette Power Station as a BLI would not be in accordance with the existing criteria for assessment and designation of historic buildings as discussed above.
Attachments
Report by Elain Harwood (English Heritage), June 2009
Location plan and aerial photograph
Photographs, May 2009
Archive photographs of the construction of the power station, 1960s
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