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Spanning the gap

Take a look at the £1 coin in your pocket.

If the design on the back shows three lions passant or a Celtic cross, Welsh dragon or Scottish lion, you are holding a piece of art by former Newark area resident, Norman H. Sillman.

Since 1957 Mr Sillman has produced more than 200 designs for coins - not just in this country, but for countries all over the world; Bermuda, the Falkland Islands, Vietnam and even Outer Mongolia.

He has also designed many commemorative medals, including ones for such important occasions as the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977, Charles' investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969, the marriage of Charles and Diana in 1981 and the wedding of Prince Andrew in 1986.

It was in the realm of sculpture, however, that Mr Sillman first made his name, and in the Newark area we are fortunate to have one of his most imaginative pieces, Power in Trust (pictured), permanently on display beside the Trent at Staythorpe.

Mr Sillman was born in London in 1921 but three years later moved with his family to Victoria in Australia.

They returned to England in 1935 when Mr Sillman began studying at the Blackheath School of Art (until 1940) and the Royal College of Art in London (from 1941).

His studies were interrupted by war service, after which he returned to the Royal College of Art until 1949.

He then worked as a sculptor in London and taught part-time at the Borough Polytechnic and South East Essex Technical College School of Art until 1956.

It was in that year that he came to Nottinghamshire as head of sculpture at the Nottingham Art College on Waverley Street. In 1973, after living in Nottingham for 18 years, Mr Sillman moved to Collingham, to a house on Cottage Lane.

He retired from the college in 1983, moving to Suffolk where he still lives and works. Between 1951 and 1962 Mr Sillman exhibited almost annually at the Royal Academy's summer exhibitions and at the London Group and Royal Society of British Artists.

Locally, he showed at the Castle Museum in Nottingham and was a member of the Midland Group exhibiting at its gallery near the Playhouse Theatre in Nottingham and as part of its travelling exhibitions.

His commissioned work has included designing the Britannia emblem which adorns the entrance to the Bank of England's print works at Loughton in Essex and, more recently, the medallion placed on buildings which have received the Royal Institute of British Architects' design award.

(One of these plaques - showing his design for regional winners - may be seen in the foyer of Newark Library). Mr Sillman first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1951, showing sculptures in wood.

Only a year later, however, he showed a piece entitled, Rhinoceros, made of fondu concrete - a new medium which he was to explore extensively over subsequent years.

In 1953 he showed an African elephant in concrete; in 1955 a Japanese pond heron; and in 1958 a statuette of a nun - all made from concrete.

Power in Trust, his sculpture beside the Trent at Staythorpe, also dates from this time and is likewise made entirely of concrete. Power in Trust was the motto of the old Central Electricity Generating Board which commissioned the piece in 1961.

It stood as a focus between the two power stations at Staythorpe; Staythorpe A built immediately after the second world war and the then brand new Staythorpe B opened in May 1962.

At the time of its opening, Staythorpe B was one of the most modern and efficient coal-fired power stations anywhere in the country, far outstripping its sister station next door.

Whereas Staythorpe A used six 60-megawatt turbines to achieve the required 350 mw output, Staythorpe B could produce the same power with just three turbines.

Power in Trust was designed to reflect this technological advance: a power generating turbine cradled in a 'hand' of boiler tubes, surging power out into the countryside.

Mr Sillman designed and made the sculpture with the participation of Mr Sean Rice, a Prix de Rome scholar, and later a senior lecturer in art at Liverpool University.

When Power in Trust was unveiled in 1962 the CEGB's in-house newspaper said: "To some it is a puzzle, to others a masterly work of art.

But everyone on the station agrees that the sculpture is one of Staythorpe's most striking features." While the two stations at Staythorpe have now both been demolished, Mr Sillman's sculpture lives on.

As National Power prepares to build its new gas-powered station at Staythorpe, Power in Trust is all set to become an integral part of the new scheme.

The gas station will be built close to the site of the old Staythorpe A, and when complete, National Power intends moving Mr Sillman's sculpture to a new, more prominent position, making it a feature of the new works.

National Power's consents manager for the Staythorpe project, Mr Mike Bailey, is currently in discussion with Mr Sillman as to how the massive sculpture (over 10ft high and mounted on a stone plinth) can be uprooted and moved to its new site.

Mr Bailey said: "When we stated planning the layout and landscaping of the new gas-fired power station we thought we should keep a reminder of the previous two power stations.

Mr Sillman's remarkable sculpture is as relevant today as it was 40 years ago, effectively bridging power plant technology.

"At the moment it stands somewhat forlorn on the river bank, but we are looking forward to the sculpture once again taking pride of place at the entrance to Staythorpe power station."

It is hoped that Mr Sillman will be present at Staythorpe on that occasion to oversee the re-siting of this most intriguing tribute to the age of electricity.

ABOVE: Power in Trust, the innovative sculpture in concrete, executed in 1961 by Mr Norman Sillman for the Central Electricity Generating Board. The sculpture currently stands beside the Trent on the site of the now demolished Staythorpe Power Station.

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