Moore Street electricity substation

The substation seen from the east

The Moore Street electricity substation is an electrical substation in Sheffield, England, designed by Jefferson Sheard in 1968. The substation is an example of Brutalist architecture.[1] Owen Hatherley describes it as "a shocking paroxysm of a building, an explosion in reinforced concrete, a bunker built with an aesthete's attention to detail, a building which is genuinely Brutalist in both senses of the term."[2]

The building was illuminated in October 2010. Paul Scriven, then the leader of Sheffield City Council, commented "The newly lit building will be a shining beacon for the city and an iconic landmark on the inner relief road" and described the substation as "an iconic building which has been important in keeping the lights on in Sheffield since the 1960s."[3]

The building was granted Grade II listed status by English Heritage in September 2013, with the building being described as a "massive and uncompromising bunker which by its plainness and fully-displayed structure expresses a highly appropriate impression of enormous energy confined and controlled within."[4]

  1. ^ Harman, Ruth; Minnis, John (2004). Sheffield. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 36. ISBN 0300105851.
  2. ^ Hatherley, Owen (November 2010). A Guide to the New Ruins of Great Britain. New York: Verso Books. pp. 102–103.
  3. ^ "Love it or hate it, the city has a bright new beacon". Sheffield Telegraph. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  4. ^ Historic England (18 September 2013). "Moore Street Electricity Substation (1415383)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 September 2013.