St Peters Church is one of the earliest in England and the first with stained glass windows, which is why it sits adjacent to the National Glass Centre in Sunderland. Appointed in 2012 Simon worked with the City’s Landscape team and Enlighten lighting consultants to create a low key but high quality resetting of the Church in its domain. The scheme required a lot of consultation and approvals which resulted in a protracted delivery process, but well worth the wait. The scheme won the Landscape Design Award at the Northern Design Awards 2016
The role of Lead Artist produced a variety of specific features as well as an overall input into layout and palette. Most notable are The cobble path which acts as a time-line detailing Benedict Biscop’s six journeys to Rome in the late 7th Century, running along the archaeological site of the original feature. These are cast aluminium panels set amongst real cobbles. An etched granite map that details the archaeological dig undertaken over a several decades, and that determines the layout.
The inclusion of several 21st Century materials, including light transmitting concrete in the shape of a St Peters cross (upside down), phosphorescent bricks that adsorb UV light during the day and glow at night, and CorTen details. Their inclusion echoes the forward-looking nature of Biscop’s own project.
