Stained glass window 'welcoming' visitors to Gloucester is branded a 'disaster'

A new stained glass window which has been installed in a bus station has been criticised as it "welcomes" people as they leave.

It cost £102,000 and although the transport hub on Station Road in Gloucester opened in 2018, the window has been dogged by delays and setbacks.

It has now been installed above the doors which lead to each of the bus bays at the transport hub.

There are concerns that it says “welcome” to people waiting for a bus to leave the city.

“It says welcome the wrong way,” one resident said.

“The people who will see it are those queuing to get on a bus to leave Gloucester and not those who arrive at the station.”

Gloucester City Council says the final cost of the design, manufacture and installation of the decorative glass windows was £101,796.

The stained glass window depicts Gloucester landmarks such as the cathedral and the Docks and Kingsholm.

It also features aircraft such as the Gloster Meteor and Gladiator and historic events such as the siege of Gloucester in the English Civil War.

One Councillor Pam Tracey said it was a "disaster", adding: "Who’s going to look up at the window when they arrive?

“Why can’t people get things right? We paid for that. And somebody’s responsible for it.

City Council leader Jeremy Hilton said: “I’m pleased the windows have now been put in place.”

“They do tell the story of Gloucester which is what they are supposed to do. It’s clear you can’t see them as you get off a bus but you can once you’ve gone through the door and look back.

“That’s the only way you can actually see them.”

He said the designers had the problem of the lack of light shining in on the windows and the original plans had to be changed.

Credit: Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporting Service.