The design of a long-discussed Spitfire Memorial in Southampton has finally been revealed. And I love it! It is by far and away the best of the proposed designs that I’ve seen.
[Nick Hancock Design Studio]
The design is a result of a public contest which brought more than 300 entries for the monument. It will stand at Trafalgar dock overlooking Southampton waters, not far from the location of the Supermarine’s first factory at Woolston, where the first Spitfires were designed and built alongside the more traditional Supermarine flying boats. With the other re-developments going on along the waterfront, the memorial has been envisioned as a landmark to this historic but long-neglected area of Southampton.
The author of the winning entry is Nick Hancock, architect and owner of Nick Hancock Design Studio. The replica aircraft, measuring one-and-a-half the size of the actual Spitfire, will be positioned on top of the 130ft (40m) tall curved mast, shaped to resemble a vapour trail. The Spitfire is to be produced in polished steel.
Nick Hancock described the qualities of his design in the following way:
“We are delighted to have won the national competition to design a memorial to the Spitfire and its designer, RJ Mitchell, on Southampton’s docks. The momument, which will rival Gateshead’s Angel of the North, features a Spitfire soaring from a spiralling stainless steel mast.
Standing 40m tall, it has a 16m wingspan and will be a Southampton landmark.
At its base is a viewing platform shaped like an RAF roundel, with a pool of remembrance, and a map showing the 28 Southampton workshops and garages where Spitfires were built after the main factory was bombed.
The Spitfire’s engineering history is woven into its structure: it uses the semi-monocoque structural system developed for the Spitfire’s fuselage by RJ Mitchell. This comprises an internal frame, over which a thin skin of stainless steel plate is formed. Frame and skin work together, making it both lightweight and sturdy.”
It is hoped that the monument can be erected in time for the 75th anniversary of the Spitfire’s maiden flight.
Do you like this design? Add comment below and share your view!
wow! this is stunning, glorious… doesn’t feel intrusive like so much ‘public art’ does
This is a wonderful memorial to a world renowned aircraft, its beauty is in the feeling of life that the aircraft portrays, it surely is a soaring tribute to the men and the machines in that period in our history.