Listed mural removed during demolition works

A listed mural by sculptor William Mitchell has been removed during the demolition stage of a city centre project.

The Tree Tuns, at the pub of the same name, was commissioned as part of Coventry's post-war regeneration and built in 1966.

It has been removed as part of the City Centre South project, a development by the Hill Group which has seen Shelton Square, the City Arcade, the Bull Yard and Barracks car park pulled down.

The developer's regional director Stuart Bale said the artwork "will be revitalised back into the city into a new form along with prominent walkways".

Mitchell had a body of work that ranges from a zoo in Qatar to the Egyptian escalator at Harrods.

He was known for his public art in the UK, including Grade II-listed works across London, as well as significant installations in the United States.

The double-sided Aztec-style piece in Coventry was awarded listed status in 2009.

Historic England described it as "a significant and unusual instance of a 1960s public art commission of high quality".

Bale said removing the mural, which weighs about 30 tonnes, took six months of planning. It was cut up into four pieces and the last chunk was lifted out on Wednesday.

He told BBC CWR it would be cleaned and stored for a "little while", with plans for its future likely to be brought forward in the next couple of years.

It is not the only piece of public art to be protected during the scheme.

Conservation efforts have also been made to save the Hertford House "History of Coventry" mural as well as Hertford Street Fibreglass Panels.

"What is unique about Coventry's regeneration is that there are probably not other cities with this amount of heritage and public art – we have plans to make sure heritage comes out when the development is complete," Bale said.

The multimillion-pound development, which is expected to take nine years, will see more than 1,000 new apartments built alongside shops, food and entertainment outlets.

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