Two Stevenage murals - including one on Primark store - given listed status by Historic England

Two public artworks in Stevenage - including one on a Primark store - have been given listed status.

The murals have been listed at Grade II by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the advice of Historic England.

The first is a tiled mural by Hungarian-born artist Gyula Bajo at the former Co-operative House, which is now a Primark store, in Stevenage Town Square.

It was installed between 1956 and 1958 and is the earliest of four major surviving murals by the Co-op group from the 1950s and 1960s, the other three being in Ipswich, Hull and Scunthorpe.

A Co-operative Wholesale Society pamphlet on Co-operative Architecture, published in 1960, says that the Stevenage mural “symbolises the spirit and activities of the Co-operative Movement as a whole and in relation to Stevenage”.

The mural depicts the “four cornerstones of a balanced economy, industry, commerce, transport and agriculture”.

It has a spinning-wheel and finished products representing textiles and consumer goods, a steelworker representing heavy industry, a teaching figure representing science and technology, and scenes showing agriculture and family life.

Also in Stevenage and given Grade II listed status is a two-part sculptural wall mural at Park Place underpass, called Scenes of Contemporary Life.

The mural, by Mitchell, was built as part of the dual carriageway redevelopment of St George’s Way in Stevenage in 1972.

Heritage Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “It is fantastic that these works have been listed in recognition of the important contribution they make to their local area and to protect them for the future.”

Also given listed status are three banked mural walls in the pedestrian concourse of Birmingham’s Hockley flyover underpass which feature geometric shapes and abstract patterns.

The flyover opened in 1968 and the murals, designed by sculptor William Mitchell, reflect a movement in the mid-20th Century when public art was often commissioned to enhance otherwise utilitarian structures.

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