A CAMPAIGN has been launched in a bid to restore a mural in Droitwich town centre to its former glory so future generations can enjoy it.
The piece, on the wall in the St Andrews Square shopping centre, was commissioned by Droitwich Town Council and was created by artist Philippa Threlfall in 1975. It depicts different aspects about life in Droitwich Spa and is loved by both visitors to the town and residents.
The last four decades have taken their toll and left the mural looking worn, chipped and tired and now the quest has been taken up to return it to how it was.
Simon Edward, who was visiting from out of town, noticed the mural could do with being repaired and contacted us about it, along with other organisations, such as the Droitwich Arts Network (DAN), to see what could be done.
DAN chairman Peter Hawkins told The Standard the organisation had been trying for several years but no progress had been made.
Back in 2012, there was an offer of £3,000 to repair it but an agreement could not be reached from the town council or the shopping centre so the work could take place.
Mr Hawkins said previously although Droitwich Town Council commissioned it, the authority had said it was not responsible for it and the St Andrews Square Shopping Centre had said it was a gift and was not its responsibility either, casting doubt on whether permission could be granted for the work to be carried out.
Droitwich Town Council confirmed to us permission would be needed from the shopping centre and a representative from there told us they would be more than happy to talk to DAN and other interested parties about getting the mural restored.
Once permission is gained, it is estimated around £4,000 would need to be raised so the work could be carried out.
Mr Hawkins said he was hopeful of obtaining funding, maybe from the local authorities and the Arts Council.
“There are a couple of pieces in existence by Philippa Threlfall but none like the mural, which captures Droitwich in a unique way.
“The danger is the longer it is left, the worse the condition will get and the more it will cost to put right.”
He added he would love to hear from anyone interested in helping with the project.
Philippa Threlfall is now 77 but is creating ceramic art and making murals and her son Daniel said they would be more than happy to help if the funds to repair it could be raised.
“There are substantial problems with the piece – a number of parts need remodeling and reglazing and new pieces to replace broken ones need putting in.
“It will also be quite fragile to get off the wall so we would need to reinforce it as well.”
He added they would need to remove the mural from the wall and take the piece away to repair it and then return it once it had been restored.
And here is the artist’s story of how the piece came about…….
“Droitwich Town Council was the commissioning agent.
“They wanted a mural to enhance their new shopping mall and suggested a collage of buildings from the area.
“We visited the area and took photos, always trying to find unusual vernacular pieces to include in the building facade mural.
“I am an artist, and Kennedy was an historian, and together we were always happy and involved when approaching these historical themes.
“Black and white architecture is very much in evidence in the Droitwich area so we realised that we needed to find some other tones and surfaces to act as a foil for this.
“We incorporated a medieval stone font from a local church and an imposing Victorian red brick building.
“As always when researching for murals, we visited the local museum and library and were pleased to find photographic record of a big stately barge which appears on the canal.
“The sky is made of pieces of Cornish slate; we had collected bags full from a worked out quarry and nearly always used this for the sky areas in murals of this nature.”
