Historic Three Tuns Mural Successfully Moved & Stored During Coventry City Centre South Redevelopment
Grade II listed Three Tuns Mural
The Hill Group has successfully extracted and secured the Grade II listed Three Tuns Mural, a notable piece of Coventry’s post-war public art, as part of the City Centre South regeneration project.
Designed by the acclaimed artist William Mitchell, the double-sided Aztec-style mural was commissioned during Coventry’s post-war reconstruction and became a distinctive feature when incorporated into the Three Tuns pub in 1966. Cast in reinforced concrete, it holds significant architectural and cultural value for the city.
Prior to demolition activities in the area, The Hill Group engaged Cliveden Conservation, a specialist heritage contractor, to manage the complex task of detaching the mural from its original structure and lifting it safely. The process began with a thorough structural assessment to determine the feasibility of removal, followed by the installation of a temporary support system to stabilise the surrounding building.
The mural, composed of four separate sections, was carefully separated from the wall, with steel supports inserted through the base plinth to protect it during demolition and to facilitate lifting. Over two days, the sections were lifted in eight controlled operations, transported via flatbed trucks across the site, and placed into a dedicated temporary storage facility within the development.
The mural is slated for reinstatement as a prominent feature in the first phase of City Centre South, near Coventry Market, ensuring it remains accessible and visible to the public.
This preservation effort is part of The Hill Group’s broader public art strategy for the City Centre South development. All identified artworks for retention have now been removed and securely stored.
Stuart Bale, Regional Director at The Hill Group, commented: “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.”
Cllr Lynnette Kelly, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change at Coventry City Council, added: “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 completed, City Centre South will offer up to 1,575 new homes, ranging from studio to three-bedroom apartments designed to accommodate a diverse community. The first phase will deliver 991 homes, alongside 8,000 square metres of commercial space for retail, hospitality, and businesses, as well as 17,000 square metres of public open space.
