A striking double-sided mural designed by William Mitchell has been extracted from a Coventry pub as part of major redevelopment work in the city centre.
The Aztec-inspired artwork, originally created during Coventry’s post-war reconstruction period, was incorporated into the Three Tuns establishment in 1966 and has since become a treasured element of the city’s built environment.
The reinforced concrete piece required specialist intervention before the surrounding structure could be demolished.
Developer Hill brought in Cliveden Conservation, a heritage contractor with expertise in sensitive removals, to oversee the intricate process of detaching the artwork from its existing position and relocating it safely.
According to Stuart Bale, Regional Director at The Hill Group, preserving the mural was a priority given its cultural significance.
The successful extraction and storage of the piece was described as a significant accomplishment by the project team and their specialist partners.
The artwork is set to be reintroduced as a central feature of the City Centre South scheme, where residents and visitors will be able to appreciate it for decades to come.
Before any physical work commenced, engineers conducted an extensive evaluation of the wall’s structural condition and its capacity to withstand the removal process.
A sophisticated system of temporary supports was erected to stabilise the adjoining building while the mural was carefully freed from its original structural backing.
Steel reinforcement elements were passed through the foundation base to shield the artwork during demolition activities and to serve as the framework for subsequent lifting.
The artwork comprises four distinct panels, each of which was raised from its mounting over a two-day period through eight separate controlled lifting operations.
The sections were loaded onto flatbed vehicles and conveyed across the construction site to a purpose-built temporary storage facility within the development boundaries.
Reintegration of the mural is planned as an integral component of City Centre South’s initial construction phase, with positioning near Coventry Market to guarantee public visibility and accessibility.
Hill’s broader public art programme for the scheme has seen every identified artwork successfully detached from its original location and placed in secure storage pending reinstallation.
Councillor Lynnette Kelly, holding the portfolio for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change within Coventry City Council, noted that the mural holds widespread recognition among local residents.
The safe extraction and storage of the piece was accomplished despite considerable logistical challenges.
The successful preservation demonstrates how the City Centre South initiative is blending Coventry’s historical character with ambitious plans for the area’s future.
The completed City Centre South development will include as many as 1,575 residential units, ranging from compact studios to three-bedroom apartments and catering to a broad spectrum of community members.
The initial stage will introduce 991 dwellings alongside approximately 8,000 square metres of retail, hospitality and commercial accommodation, together with roughly 17,000 square metres of landscaped public realm.