Judy Scott-Moncriff DL (Deputy Lieutenant), on behalf of the Lieutenancy of Staffordshire, officially opened the ‘Station Road Mosaic Bench’ on 14 September 2024. Here’s some photos:
Background
Biddulph Town Council commissioned Philip Hardaker, a local sculptor, ceramicist and mosaic artist, to design and install a piece of community artwork at Station Road Gardens, celebrating Biddulph’s past and looking forward to a bright future.
Philip lives locally and is well known for his community work, and for the creation of many important pieces of art around the country.
The sculpture celebrates industries which have all been prominent in Biddulph, such as textiles, nursing, transport, farming, quarrying, etc. on tiles, designed and created by groups in our community, forming a seat.
We wanted the bench to remember activities that happen(ed) in the town, such as ‘pigeon fancying’, bowling, football, tennis, etc. There are also images of some of our iconic buildings and heritage features.
Children and members of a wide range of community groups were tasked with creating tiles representing Biddulph now, and what it means to them.
The aim of the bench is to celebrate our past, but also the things we love about the town now. There are images of nature, flowers and animals. Collective teamwork has created magic!
Biddulph Town Council has secured funding for this project from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. An interpretation board has been added, to educate and engage visitors by providing information about the project.
Ongoing maintenance will be undertaken by Biddulph Town Council, to ensure the future of the artwork is secure.
We’ve seen some lovely feedback:
Absolutely love what Philip Hardaker is doing at the top of Station Road opposite the Methodist Church, going to look amazing when finished. A lot of hard work from local schools have gone into making most of the tiles. Well done everyone who has contributed.
We had such a great time making some of the tiles and working with Phil was brilliant! We’re all so excited to see this!
Lots of children and adults have made a tile. Philip Hardaker’s work is fabulous.
Philip helped my daughter to make a tile 25 years ago at Oxhey! She met him again this year… such a lovely man.
They have all done a fantastic job with the tiles, I could have spent ages looking at each one, the work gone into them is amazing.
There is very little public art in Biddulph. The Mosaic Bench creates a lasting legacy for the celebration of the town and its future.
We hope you enjoy sitting on the bench and also reflecting on the tiles that have been created.
We hope it will be loved by the Biddulph community for years to come.
Here’s a link to a video of the creation of the mosaic bench by Ray Johnson MBE. Ray is Professor of Film Heritage and Documentary at Staffordshire University:
