Princess Anne officially opened Darlington’s new town hall and unveiled the sculpture outside. The town hall, designed by Newcastle architects Williamson, Faulkner Brown and Partners along with borough architect Eric Tornbohm, was supposed to be the first phase in a questionable concept to cover the town centre with glass and concrete civic boxes. Fortunately, it never happened.
The sculpture, by Cheltenham artist John Hoskin, is called ‘Resurgence’ and symbolises Darlington’s escape from industrial decline. It was not universally popular, with letters to The Northern Echo describing it as ‘an ambitious abortion in steel’ (it is actually made of zinc with stainless steel blades) and saying that a new public toilet would have been preferable.
Despite thigh-high boots and a short miniskirt, the demure princess looked as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth as she unveiled the sculpture. But Monty Python comedian Michael Palin, in his Halfway to Hollywood diaries, wrote a strange entry dated 2 November 1980:
I have a glass of wine, sign some autographs and meet Kate Adie – a rather dynamic lady who tells me that she was with Princess Anne unveiling something in Darlington. It turned out to be a particularly unprepossessing plaque to ‘The Spirit of New Darlington’ and, as everyone applauded, Princess Anne leaned over to Kate Adie and muttered a heartfelt: ‘F*** me!’
(‘Memories’, The Northern Echo, 2012)