A public mural in Newport, representing a key point in the Chartist rebellion of 1839, could now face demolition after Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, declined to list it.
The 35-metre mural by Kenneth Budd, which has been in place for 36 years, commemorates the Newport Rising of 4 November 1839 when over 1,000 working men mounted a rebellion in order to free a group of imprisoned Chartists. Located in a walkway off John Frost Square in the city centre, Cadw has stated that it has not met the criteria for listing on grounds of ‘special architectural interest’.
The listing of the mural had been requested by the Twentieth Century Society, and a petition by the Save Our Mural campaign has attracted over 2,500 signatures. The group is asking for the mural to be saved from demolition and incorporated within the designs of a shopping centre redevelopment for John Frost Square.
A statement from Newport City Council said that it was “grateful to Cadw for examining this issue in such detail before reaching its conclusion.” Having, on the advice of Cadw, commissioned a report on the potential for relocating the mural, it said that its findings “made clear that it would cost at least £600,000 and there were real risks that the mural would not survive such a move… It was also acknowledged that there was a danger that relocation, or leaving the mural in situ, would jeopardise the Friars Walk scheme which is seen as vital for the regeneration and revitalisation of the city centre.”
New Chartist mural
The statement continued: “While it will not be possible to preserve the mural in its current state, we have made a commitment to commission a memorial to the Chartists within the city. We will consult with the people of Newport to agree the most appropriate way to celebrate the Chartist movement.”
The Save The Mural campaign has rebuffed the council’s statement, claiming that the £600,000 figure “has not been substantiated by inviting a single competitive tender and – strangely – without consultation to the renowned mosaic specialist, Oliver Budd (son of the mosaic’s creator, Kenneth Budd), who is the only man who actually knows the detail of how the mosaic was originally constructed/affixed.”
The decision not to list the mural and the strong likelihood that it will now be demolished, represents yet another blow to Newport’s cultural life. Newport Art Gallery’s temporary exhibitions programme was recently scrapped by the council and the University of South Wales, based in the city, closed its BA Fine Art course at the end of the 2012/13 term.
