Parsons' Polygon,Blackett Street, Newcastle upon Tyne

Parsons' Polygon is a relief sculpture located on the north pavement of Blackett Street in Newcastle upon Tyne. Created between 1982 and 1985 by designer David Hamilton, it was commissioned by the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive to cover a concrete ventilation shaft for an underground Metro tunnel.

The sculpture stands approximately 3 meters (9.8 feet) high and has a hexagonal shape. Its surface is adorned with orange-brown terracotta tiles of various sizes and shapes, featuring a slightly rough, hand-finished texture. At the base, there is a chamfered plinth that is covered in small tiles. Each of the six vertical faces showcases relief mouldings of abstracted machinery parts inspired by Parsons’ engineering drawings. The lower panels depict alternating images of an abstracted cog and machine part, while the narrower upper panels feature similar alternating machine parts. The upper sections of the six faces include offset ventilation louvres that are partially formed from stacks of abstracted machine parts. The sculpture is topped with a hexagonal pointed roof made of small tiles, complete with ridge tiles at the angles.

The functional elements of the ventilation shaft located below ground are not included in the listing.