A Grade II-listed mural has been lifted and placed in storage in Coventry, safeguarding a piece of post-war public art ahead of demolition work nearby.
The Three Tuns Mural, created by artist William Mitchell and built into the Three Tuns pub in 1966, was removed as part of the City Centre South regeneration project led by The Hill Group.
The double-sided, Aztec-style artwork, cast in reinforced concrete, has long been regarded as one of the city’s most distinctive examples of post-war design.
Ahead of demolition in the area, Hill appointed specialist heritage contractor Cliveden Conservation to separate the mural from the surrounding structure and lift it to safety.
The team carried out a structural assessment of the wall before installing a temporary works arrangement to support the building around it. Steel supports were then threaded through the base plinth to protect the mural during demolition and to serve as the lifting structure.
Made up of four sections, the mural was lifted clear of its foundations over two days, in eight controlled lifting operations. Each section was transported by flatbed across the site and lowered into a dedicated temporary storage area within the development.
The mural will be reinstated as a key feature of the first phase of City Centre South, near Coventry Market, to ensure it remains visible and accessible to the public. Its removal forms part of Hill’s wider public art strategy for the site; every piece of artwork identified for retention has now been taken from its original position and placed into storage.
Stuart Bale, regional director at The Hill Group, said: “The Three Tuns Mural is an important piece of Coventry’s history, and it was important to us that it was preserved with the greatest possible care as we bring forward this transformational project.
“Successfully lifting and storing the mural is a fantastic achievement by our team and our specialist partners, and we are proud that it will have a new home at the heart of City Centre South, where it can continue to be enjoyed by the people of Coventry for generations to come.”
Councillor Lynnette Kelly, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change at Coventry City Council, said: “The Three Tuns Mural is a familiar and much-loved landmark so it’s brilliant to see it saved and safely stored ahead of its future return to the city centre. It was a really tricky move, so the team did very well to ensure it stayed in one piece. It’s a great example of how City Centre South is bringing together the best of Coventry’s past with an exciting new future for this part of the city centre.”
Once complete, City Centre South will provide up to 1,575 new homes, ranging from studio to three-bedroom apartments. The first phase will deliver 991 of these homes, alongside 8,000 sq. metres of new commercial space for shops, hospitality and businesses, and 17,000 sq. metres of public open space.
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