Wednesday, June 08, 2016

Warehouse Wednesday: Corporation Green


Council house entrance

I have a theory that back in the 1950s and 60s, if the local council (Corporation) owned anything, the painted it green. Gates, fences, rollers, mowers, staff - all painted a very particular shade of green. Not Brunswick, lime or grass, a sort of bluey-green shade. 

Why Humbrol doesn't see fit to include it in their range is a mystery to me. 

Nowadays, paint buying is probably not as centralised and the desk jockeys all think they are designers, so a wide variety of huges are now to be seen. The entrance to Birmingham Council House escaped this though and is still resplendent in corporation green. 

Interesting details here. There is presumably a walkway cutting through the archway, was this an original feature I wonder? 

The heavy gates are supported on rollers running on metal strips embedded in the pavement. Nice little box for the security man to sit in too. Not a plastic cabin but proper wooden structure made by in-house carpenters no doubt. I bet they made those nice wooden inner gates too.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Phil

As one of those pen pushers who happens to be a designer (and with letters to prove it) its all RAL colours - RAL3005 Moss green one of standards not that anyone can afford to paint anything due to something called efficiency savings.

regards

GOG