Henry Hooper; Designed London's Blue Plaques
Hyfler/Rosner
Designer for 30 years of London's Blue Plaques
23 March 2005
Henry George Hooper, letterer and sign designer: born London
23 September 1926; married 1955 Barbara Bath (one son); died
Addlestone, Surrey 10 February 2005.
Henry Hooper left his mark throughout London, and further
afield, as the designer of the famous Blue Plaques.
Born in Southwark in 1926, the son of a laundryman, he was
one of the lucky London youngsters who enjoyed a form of
vocational education which could serve as a model for
today's needs. He passed a "13 plus" exam which enabled him
to attend a specialist school, which offered the basics of
an academic education in the morning, and then specialist
training in the afternoons. On reaching school-leaving age
pupils could then do a Higher Diploma in their chosen
discipline.
Hooper trained as a signwriter and decorator at London's
flagship of vocational education for the construction
industry, the Brixton School of Building. After completing
the National Diploma in Design at the age of 20 he was
called up for National Service, and served in the RAF in
India in the aftermath of the Second World War. On de-mob he
was recruited into the army of artist/craftsmen who were
creating the Festival of Britain on the South Bank, where he
worked for Holland, Hannen & Cubitt, one of the festival's
main contractors, on the myriad signs that guided visitors
around the attractions.
In 1954 he was appointed as a designer in the Architect's
Office of the London County Council, with special
responsibility for the Blue Plaques. These ceramic roundels,
which commemorate famous people who have lived in London,
are a highly visible landmark.
From 1955 to 1985, when the LCC's successor body, the GLC,
was dissolved by the Thatcher government, Hooper was the
designer of several hundred of these plaques. Immediately on
being given the task he set about redesigning the alphabet
which was used to make it more suitable for the technique of
"tubelining" which the ceramicist Alan Dawson had to use for
manufacturing the plaques. He used this sturdy Roman
letterform for all his designs - except for two: the plaques
for Frank Pick in north-west London, and for Edward Johnston
in Hammersmith. Both of these were designed using the "block
letter" alphabet that Pick commissioned Johnston to create
for the London Underground: the typeface later extended as
the style used on all London Transport buildings and buses.
The LCC had inherited responsibility for the plaques from
the Royal Society of Arts in 1901. This was carried on by
the GLC until its demise, when English Heritage assumed
control. Hooper designed a few plaques for them until they
started to use computer-generated designs. He was proud that
in his tenure every aspect of the plaques' design and
manufacture, from drawing the letters to the final fixing,
was done by hand.
Thereafter Hooper was commissioned to create designs for a
wide variety of authorities throughout the UK and Europe.
Whilst in post with the GLC he created many other sign
systems for the capital even, including the neon design for
the National Film Theatre.
Harry Hooper was a most amiable, unassuming and
self-deprecating man. In his retirement he took to
watercolour painting and flat green bowling. Evidence of his
early design training could be seen in the trompe l'oeil
steam train on his garage doors.
Jon Gibbs
marilyn...@aol.com
This came from the Independent.
Marilyn
Brad Ferguson
<rel...@rcn.com> wrote:
> Henry Hooper
> Designer for 30 years of London's Blue Plaques
> 23 March 2005
> Henry George Hooper, letterer and sign designer: born London
> 23 September 1926; married 1955 Barbara Bath (one son); died
> Addlestone, Surrey 10 February 2005.
>
>
>
> Henry Hooper left his mark throughout London, and further
> afield, as the designer of the famous Blue Plaques.
I'd never heard of Blue Plaques before. Thanks.
There's a great deal of information about them (and some examples) here:
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/default.asp?wci=Node&wce=6516