The search is on for Britain's lost public sculptures as Historic England protects five more artworks

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

A ventilation shaft and a woman carrying a basket of hens on her head are among five artworks given new listed statuses by Historic England, who are continuing their public appeal to find missing public sculptures

Spiral Nebula by Geoffrey Clarke, 1962. Outside the Herschel Buildings, off Haymarket Lane, University of Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne. Listed Grade II

Perhaps the most important of the pieces of post-war public art in Newcastle, Spiral Nebula was created by Geoffrey Clarke in 1962 in polished steel to adorn the exterior of Newcastle University Physics Department's Herschel Building.

The building’s architect, Sir Basil Spence, felt it would detract from his architecture, so he asked for the piece to be painted a dull grey and sited at ground level in front.

Its vertical antenna was stolen by vandals and the piece fell into disrepair until the university asked the artist’s son Jonathan Clarke, also a sculptor, to restore the sculpture in 2012. Jonathan recalls that he had to remove 40 bin liners full of pigeon droppings from the sculpture’s cavities and recast the antenna.

“Spiral Nebula is one of the most striking examples of the distinctive and imaginative quality Geoffrey Clarke brought to his work,” says Professor Eric Cross, the Dean of Cultural Affairs at the university.

“It also marks an important period in the history of the university, since both the sculpture and the building it sits outside were specially commissioned as part of the process of becoming a fully independent university in 1963.”

Parsons’ Polygon by David Hamilton, 1982-85. Blackett Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne. Listed Grade II

Commissioned as part of the “Art on the Metro” scheme to enliven the Tyne and Wear Metro, this sculpture also functions as a ventilation shaft. It celebrates Sir Charles Parsons, one of the most influential of all British engineers, who developed steam turbines in Newcastle.

Its orange terracotta tiles were intended to “stir the curiosity of the locals” and are decorated with cogs and machine parts inspired by Parsons’ engineering drawings. They are made from the same clay used to make the bricks for Eldon Square, the shopping centre it stands next to.

“The north-east was a pioneer in the creation of art in and around public transport, an approach which has been copied by cities all around the world,” says Councillor Nick Forbes, the Leader of Newcastle City Council, who calls the tribute “clever and timeless”.

“Parsons’ Polygon is an early example from what has been achieved over the last few decades.”

Easington Colliery Disaster Memorial, 1953-4. Easington Colliery Cemetery, Crawlaw Road, County Durham. Listed Grade II

This commemorates the loss of 83 men at Easington Colliery in 1951 after a terrible explosion and marks their communal grave.

The Easington miner is portrayed as an ordinary man caught up in extraordinary happenings, rather than as a monumental heroic figure.

His safety equipment, such as his helmet and head lamp, are carefully emphasised to poignant effect.

It commemorates both individual acts of sacrifice and a sense of communal service.

Market Woman by Hans Schwarz, 1966. Junction of High Street West and Station Road, Wallsend. Listed Grade II

This rough bronze sculpture of a Roman peasant woman was designed for a shopping centre in Wallsend at the east end of Hadrian’s Wall.

The artist Hans Schwarz depicted the woman in a stoic pose with a basket of hens balanced on her head.

She was, he said, a “tough, hardworking peasant, not a graceful girl”. The idea was to highlight the reality of life for common people in this area under the rule of Emperor Hadrian.

It also echoes the hardships Schwarz himself endured as an Austrian Jew who had to flee the Nazis and whose father died at Auschwitz.

Derwent Walk Express by Andy Frost, 1986. Junction of Hexham Road and Park View, Swalwell, Gateshead. Listed Grade II

Made from inexpensive and locally-available materials, this depiction of a train steaming through the landscape celebrates the railway heritage of the Derwent valley in a colourful, energetic way.

The piece was a pioneering example of public art, embodying the emergence of the movement.

Only 35 installations in the North East date from the 1980s – the 1990s saw 180 pieces of public art.

The painted plywood construction combines a steam train with slices of countryside - plants, birds, animals, insects and a distant power station.

Antony Gormley, A View, A Place, 1986

While some post-war sculptures are being protected, others remain lost, damaged or destroyed. Many works of public art across England turned out to be missing, including this one, created as part of the 1986 National Garden Festival at Stoke-on-Trent.

The life-sized figure of a man was placed at the highest point of the festival overlooking the Fowlea Valley. When the festival closed the sculpture was removed and to date its whereabouts are unknown. Historic England is today asking members of the public who know anything about the piece to email communications@historicengland.org.uk.

• Historic England has compiled a list of works that have been lost, sold, stolen or destroyed. Visit historicengland.org.uk/missingpublicart. An exhibition, Out There: Our Post-War Public Art, will take place at Bessie Surtees House in Newcastle from September 8 – December 23 2016. Photos of the sculptures when they were first installed and any other information can be sent to outthere@historicengland.org.uk.

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Three places to see sculpture

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford
Bingley Based artist Marcus Levine's steel clout nail sculpture 'Hung Out to Dry' and family favourite, fibre glass 'Hochlandbew' by Otmar Alt are included in Sculpture Trail: Art in the Park. Don't miss the magnificent wire 'Torsos' by Sophie Ryder, ending with pure granite by Edinburgh-based Jake Harvey.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an international centre for modern and contemporary sculpture that sets out to challenge, inspire, inform and delight. Changing exhibitions and projects are sited in 500 acres of historic gardens and parkland, five indoor galleries and an award-winning visitor centre.

Victoria Art Gallery, Bath
The current retrospective exhibition celebrates the work of Kenneth Armitage, an artist intimately connected with Bath, on the centenary of his birth. It features numerous sculptures in bronze and plaster alongside paintings and drawings - mostly on a figurative or arboreal theme. Until November 27 2016.

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/historic-buildings/art561644-historic-england-listed-sculptures-antony-gormley