Historical Mural Celebrating the History of Tadley, Hampshire

As many of you know, as well as an explorer of history, I'm also an artist. Part of that side of my work is painting murals (both public and private), and it is always especially exciting when my two passions align. 

In the summer of 2026, we were commissioned to design and create a community-led mural, which celebrated the town of Tadley in Hampshire. I was enlisted to help with some of the historical research and put together the leaflet to inform residents as to the different themes and events the mural depicts. As an artist, I worked on filling the letters, with Amy, Fran and Immie.  


The mural was the brainchild of Tadley and District Youth Action Council, who were keen to merge both old and new elements into its design. More than a thousand years of Tadley's history are to be found on the painting, all brushed on by hand. The logos, images and symbols on the bottom were drawn and painted by residents who were allocated a tile, marking local groups, bands and businesses. We depicted Tadley's Roman past, connected by its ancient road to Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester), a fortified settlement that is still being excavated today. Besoms brooms are created in Tadley, and have done for hundreds of years - there's also Tadley Place, Tadley church, local outdoor and natural spaces and of course a reference to Tadley's 'treacle', an old legend that treacle bubbled up in the local soil as it was so thick and clay-like. Tadley Place of course once belonged to the local seventeenth-century landowner Sir Henry Ludlow. 

Our Two Lost Birds team on this project: Amy, me, Fran and Immie

Our team at Two Lost Birds worked on the mural during some really hot sunny days, but we were grateful that the shade caused by the roof cover meant that the sun was hottest and brightest on the wall surface after around 4pm. We also had the Starbucks next door where we could have a short break and enjoy a cold iced drink. 


Tadley locals often stopped by while we worked, asking us questions about the mural and sharing their memories and experiences about the topics we painted. It was lovely to see the enthusiasm for the project, as well as people coming back with loved ones to show them the tiles they had painted in the days before. 


Once the mural was finished, an unveiling ceremony was conducted, carried out by members of the Youth Council and the Mayor of Basingstoke. We were there to show our support, but we didn't expect to get called up and gifted a bunch of flowers, which was really lovely! 


The mural represents the history of Tadley, and so many hours of hard work by our team. But perhaps more than that, it represents the way Tadley came together to share their memories about their community, what their history means to them and to give encouragement to us while we worked. We felt it was incredibly heart-warming to see people of all ages come together over the mural. 

If you'd like to see it for yourself, you can find the mural directly outside the door of Starbucks attached to Sainsbury's in Tadley. It's right opposite the historic clock on the main road, and you can sit directly next to it in Starbucks' outside seating area. 

Thank you Tadley and District Youth Action Council for being a treasure to work with, and to the people of Tadley for their kind words and involvement. 

You can find out more about the work I do with Two Lost Birds here. 



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