Bracknell town centre murals placed on roundabouts by council

That’s the message from one resident upset at the placing of a piece of a historic piece of artwork laid down on the grassy centre of the Met Office roundabout in Bracknell.

The mural, which used to be displayed on Crossway House as a picture from 1958 shows, was taken down when the old town was demolished.

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It was spotted by resident Dave Miles, who posted a picture of the artwork on the ‘Bracknell Then & Now’ Facebook group.

His post prompted a series of comments from residents dismayed at the new location of the artwork.

One said: “These bits of Bracknell’s history deserve a bit more respect and thought into where they are placed, and indeed how they are placed.”

Another added: “It’s disgusting, every town needs to be able to show off its heritage.

“New shops and restaurants have their place and rightly so but in order to see where you are going you need to be able to see where you’ve come from, Bracknell has a proud past, let’s celebrate that.”

In the comments of the post, another resident informed the News of another mural which has been placed laid down on the 3M roundabout.

One person suggested these locations were not suitable for the historic pieces.

They said: “It was good they where saved from destruction but in a roundabout where they will be climbed over, vandalised and damaged isn't a good place for them.

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“They should have been mounted on a wall.

“Perhaps at South Hill Park as that's Bracknell arts centre.”

The murals were taken down when the town was redeveloped, a project led by Bracknell Regeneration Partnership which is a joint venture made up of Legal & General Property and Schroder UK Property Fund.

Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) placed the stone murals back in the town centre, as it did with the William Mitchell mural which was also on the Met Office roundabout before being moved to the side of Braccan Walk car park.

The News asked BFC why these roundabout locations were chosen for the stone murals.

Andrew Hunter, a director at BFC, said: “Bracknell Forest Council is delighted to be able to showcase the historic pieces of artwork retained from the town centre regeneration.

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“The stone murals were positioned within the grass verges in underpasses that are main walking routes into the town centre, enabling residents and visitors alike a clear view of the art at close quarters.

“The William Mitchell mural has also been placed on the Braccan Walk car park with additional lighting to showcase the work at night.”

The News asked BFC if there were any plans to add these murals back to buildings in the town centre, like with the William Mitchell artwork, but the council did not comment.