Concorde: the best of British design. Photograph: PA
It was extremely expensive to build, the green lobby hated it, only the super rich could afford to fly in it, and six years ago it crashed, killing all on board, but there is no doubting Concorde's popularity. Thousands of plane spotters gathered to witness its last flight three years ago.
Now Concorde has been voted Britain's favourite design of the 20th century by viewers of the BBC's Culture Show. Bafflingly, it was chosen ahead of the more heroic Spitfire and the more ingenious, but less glamorous, London Underground map.
There is no accounting for taste, or indeed the powers of persuasion of the Guardian's Jonathan Glancey, who championed Concorde on the show, describing it as a "sky goddess". This is not an opinion shared by fellow columnist George Monbiot, who said Concorde only delivered discord and misery to millions.
Other environmentalists have gone further. The Green party councillor Vanessa Hall has described it "as the most highly polluting aircraft of all in an industry which is the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions." According to Aviation Conspiracy, the enthusiasm for Concorde was all whipped up by "media lackeys" in hock to airline advertisers.
You could never accuse Tony Benn of being in the pay of advertisers, and yet he said: "Whenever a Concorde flies, people look at it, it's very graceful, it's very beautiful, it is a symbol of peace and international understanding."
But then he was the minister responsible for getting Concorde built.
