Greater London, City Of London, General

Building Notes

The 'Chemistry At Your Service' exhibition was held at the Tea Centre, London in June 1946. Basil Spence was commissioned as Chief Architect and worked with a team of designers who, with the exception of one, had all worked together as camouflage officers during the Second World War. The team included James Gardner who went on to work with Spence as chief designer for a number of exhibitions including 'Britain Can Make It', and John Hutton who designed the Great West Window at Coventry Cathedral.

The exhibition promoted the achievements of British chemists and focused on eight outstanding discoveries made by them since 1930. John Hutton's anodized aluminium mural represented one of the key themes of the Exhibition, that of the role played by British chemists in the country's transition from war to peace. This was further illustrated through a number of the exhibitions that focused on developments such as insecticides, medicines and weed-killers.

Sponsored by ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries), it was described in the contemporary press as a 'landmark in exhibition design' because with the exception of timber, all the materials used in the exhibition were supplied by the chemical industry. Materials such as aluminium and perspex were used in the construction of the exhibition stands in order to illustrate the flexibility and potential of the new materials. 'Chemistry at Your Service' marked the beginning of Spence's post-war exhibition work.

Archive Details and Summary

The Sir Basil Spence Archive contains one presentation drawing of the ICI exhibition stand, a press cutting album, and a photograph album with 18 contemporary photographs. It also includes a manuscript containing a typescript of a press release outlining the main themes of the exhibition and brief biographical notes on the participants.

This text was written as one of the outputs of the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, 2005-08.

Building Notes

In 1951 Basil Spence and Partners designed a temporary exhibition stand to publicise ICI's Ardil fibre at the Army and Navy Stores, London. Ardil was a peanut fibre that was similar to wool and could be woven into fabric. The company had patented it in 1937 and re-launched it after the Second World War. By 1951 ICI was producing 10,000 tons of Ardil per year but in 1957 production ceased. This was one of a number of exhibition commissions Spence carried out for ICI throughout his career.

Archive Detail and Summary

The Sir Basil Spence Archive holds one photograph of a perspective drawing by Basil Spence and six drawings showing plans, sections, elevations and details of the exhibition stand.

The drawings show that the exhibition was to be held on the third floor of the Army and Navy Stores. They also show that the exhibition stand was a fibre-covered cocoon, with an elliptical opening in the roof. Above the opening was an enormous spider suspended from a spider's web. Inside the cocoon were six observation openings that punctured the exterior wall.

It has not been possible to establish as yet whether the exhibition stand was ever built.

This text was written as one of the outputs of the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, 2005-08.