CROWDS gathered this morning (Friday) to see the unveiling of a special plaque to mark the end of a project to restore artwork in Bexhill.
Volunteers from Bexhill Heritage have spent the last few months painstakingly restoring the concrete mural which was previously neglected and forgotten. Many residents still do not know about the artwork which is situated on the Sainsbury’s building wall, opposite Town Hall Square, but now, it is finally being noticed due to its vibrant new look.
The concrete murals were designed by Henry Collins and Joyce Pallot, who were a husband and wife team and were famous for creating large-scale murals around the country in the 1970s.
At the ceremony, Chairman Steve Johnson thanked all the volunteers for their hard work and commitment in restoring the artwork which was originally unveiled on 8th June, 1976. He also expressed his gratitude to members and other people who all donated towards the project which was totally funded by the charity.
A plaque detailing the project and its background was officially unveiled by Chairman of Rother District Council, Richard Thomas, MP for Bexhill and Battle Dr Kieran Mullan, Councillor Christine Bayliss and Councillor Ruairi McCourt.
Councillor Richard Thomas told Bexhill News: “This shows the extraordinary effort of people coming together and working in a partnership and working as a community. We’ve taken a significant and important piece of artwork, that was actually hidden, unrecognised, unnoticed and ignored, and now it’s shining through in all its glory.
I just can’t express how delighted I am that such a wonderful result has been achieved by members of the community.”
Councillor Christine Bayliss said: “Bexhill Heritage do great work in the town and It’s lovely to see this beautiful mural. It really is exceptionally restored to its original condition.
There’s been lots of hard work going on, and don’t forget, there’s a lot of work and negotiations that go on before they start doing the actual restoration behind the scenes. It is a really good piece of work and Bexhill Heritage should be commended for funding it.”
