Preserving Post-War Public Art with Historic England

England has a fascinating yet widely forgotten collection of beautiful and thought-provoking public art from the post-war period. After the Second World War, art was used to bring our public spaces back to life as the country began to repair its shattered towns and cities. This art was created for everyone, to humanise and enrich our streets, housing estates, expanding universities and schools. Sadly, our post-war public art is often overlooked or under-valued.

Historic England is launching a series of GPS-led walking tours available for the public, free on the Geotourist app on iPhone and Android which will guide listeners to post-war artworks across Bristol, Birmingham and Sheffield using only their smartphones. Listeners will be encouraged to scan the rooftops, peek through railings and discover the fascinating stories behind different pieces, some still cherished and others now forgotten.

If you are lucky enough to live in or visit any of the cities featured in the exhibition, for an investment of about an hour of your time, you'll be rewarded on your exploration with a range of works including Sheffield’s Vulcan; a sculpture in Bristol named Refugee, made by an artist whose family was obliterated by the holocaust; and a beautiful but crumbling mosaic in Birmingham.

These tours are part of Historic England’s countrywide drive to encourage people to not only discover hidden gems on their doorsteps, but better appreciate our national collection of post-war public art. This collection is being explored in an exhibition currently at Somerset House, “Out There: Our Post-War Public Art” which will end on the 10th April 2016.