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Vivid Memories - Droitwich Spa's new street art installation

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This installation is just one of three new street art pieces popping up in Droitwich Spa’s town centre. The artworks have been brought to life thanks to funding from Wychavon’s portion of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, in collaboration with Droitwich Spa Place Board. All of the art has been shaped through community consultation and workshops. Each illustration in Union Lane’s artwork draws inspiration from the memories of our residents. You can read these memories below.

Artwork in Union Lane, opposite the train station

Illustrative artwork of young male and female in love

A romance at the winter gardens

Chris, aged 73

In 1968 I was dancing with a girl at the winter gardens. When the clock struck 12, I kissed her and she never let go. She’s still my wife today!

Illustrative artwork of colour flower arrangement

A Happy Day

Stella, aged 40

A happy memory I have of Droitwich is the day of my daughter’s prom. We went to the lido and took some lovely pictures. It was July 2023, and the park was full of flowers. The pictures were so pretty, and I have them in a photo album so they will be a forever memory for her to look at and show future generations.

Illustrative artwork of athletic man cycling

A care-free time

Danielle, aged 17

A fond memory of mine is when I was younger, we would go as a family to the field by the canal and we would feed the ducks, play football, climb trees and cycle together. A very nice, care-free time to look back on.

Illustrative artwork of two males dressed in battle re-enactment costumes

Salt festival

Mia, aged 12

My happiest memory of Droitwich Spa is the Salt Fest because of the stands and because of what you can buy there. It’s so fun! I wish it could last every day, it’s awesome!

Illustrative artwork of three flying spitfire planes

Chateau Impney’s Hill Club

Richard

I have fond memories of spitfire planes soaring over the Chateau Impney’s Hill Club. It was bustling with classic cars and a traditional funfair.

Illustrative artwork of young women on a high street, surrounded by wonky buildings

Seeing Sidewards

George, aged 28

I have happy memories of hosting friends and going for breakfast on the Wonky High Street the next day. We would laugh thinking we were too tipsy from the night before to see the buildings straight.

The Millennium Yew Tree

Richard, aged 76

Collecting the millennium yew tree at a service in Worcester Cathedral in 1999. It was tiny and the smallest of the bunch. The tree was planted after the service at St Augustine's in October 2000 during very heavy rain. We had to help it with a wire cage and wondered whether it would survive. It flourished and now stands tall overlooking the town from the churchyard. Hopefully it will survive until the next millennium!

Illustrative artwork of male swimming the breast stroke and male lifeguard

Taking a dive

Katy

Spending summers at the Lido swimming pool. Whatever the weather, the lifeguards sat in torrential rain whilst we enjoyed the pool. Jumping into the deep end and trying to touch the bottom before coming back up breathless.

I remember when I first went to the tennis courts and the Lido, it was amazing.

- Tricia, aged 11

Goal!

Chris, aged 73

Playing football and cricket on a space in the middle of Droitwich called Covercroft. Kids would turn up to play after school and in the holidays. There would be about 25 people per side, running around, with jumpers for goal posts. We knew who was on your side and who was on the oppositions, but I don’t know how!

Watching Aston Villa football team train on pitches in Droitwich. They used to come here for the brine baths and would stop off at The Robin Hood pub for a drink.

- Rachel, aged 39

Illustrative artwork of picnic in a park

Picnic in the park

Florence, aged 10

My favourite memory is when I came to Droitwich for a really nice picnic at Lido Park with my Granny and my brother. We played and we saw baby ducks.

Illustrative artwork of steam train riding across a bridge

Choo-choo!

Oscar, aged 9

Watching the Flying Scotsman come through Droitwich.

Illustrative artwork of a young girl and young women sat outside, smiling.

“The colours, the smiles, the laughter”

Carolyn, aged 51

Celebrating QEII Diamond Jubilee with members of the Salvation Army's friendship group. Seeing the joy of different ages coming together was wonderful. The colours, the smiles, the laughter.

All aboard!

Alan, aged 84

I had a canal boat for years; we explored about half the canals in England in it. I have fond memories of being a member of the Droitwich Canal Society, taking lots of people on boat trips over the years. A special memory of mine is taking my youngest grandchild on the boat. He had a go at behind the wheel of the boat. He was perfect at steering it, despite not being able to see where he was going!

My favourite memory is when my dad told me that we were going on the Pamela May boat along the canal.

- Fyan, aged 12

Illustrative artwork of a large bell ringing

“Hear Ye Hear Ye”

George, aged 28

Watching different generations of our community come together at festivals and significant national and watching the town crier ring the bell.

Illustrative artwork of a deer surrounded by colourful butterflies

Chateau Deer Park

Alan, aged 84

I lived at the Chateau Deer Park for 31 years and the views were splendid. The soil was easy to cultivate and we kept a very productive garden.

Illustrative artwork of four donkeys being ridden over a hill

Donkey Derby

Anonymous

I fondly remember the donkey derby at the town’s annual carnival. It was a really happy occasion until the jockeys (who were really children) fell off! Eventually it stopped due to health and safety!

Illustrative artwork of a white swan a two cygnets in water

Local wildlife

Charlotte, aged 10

Seeing the swans and cygnets on the canal.

Illustrative artwork of a rainbow over Lido Park in Droitwich

Droitwich in Bloom

John

Getting the family together to take pictures with the floral rainbow in Lido Park that was up for Droitwich in Bloom.

Tides of Time - Droitwich Spa’s historical artwork

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This installation is one of three new street art pieces in Droitwich Spa’s town centre. The artwork is a celebration of Droitwich Spa’s salt heritage and history fittingly titled ‘Tides of Time: The Legacy of Droitwich Spa’s Brine’. The art has been shaped by the community using consultation and workshops.

The artworks have been brought to life thanks to funding from Wychavon’s portion of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, in collaboration with Droitwich Spa Place Board.

Learn more about each of its features below, with thanks to our community contributors including members of Droitwich Spa Civic Society and Droitwich History & Archaeology Society.

Brine Baths

The backdrop of the artwork is St Andrew’s Brine Baths. Droitwich became Droitwich Spa in the 19^th century as the town’s spa facilities were developed. The town’s first brine baths opened in 1836. With the backing of the local ‘salt king', John Corbett, the town became the only salt-water spa-town in Britain. Many hotels and boarding houses of various sizes were built to accommodate the visitors who were treated at the Brine Baths.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BRINE BATHS
Chateau Impney

The floating building is Chateau Impney. Attemping to win over his wife who missed their former Parisian lifestyle, The Salt King John Corbett commissioned a French architect to design the Chateau Impney in the Louis XIII style. In 1875, building began. The Chateau was completed at an estimated cost of seven million pounds in today’s figures. In more recent years the Chateau once operated as a hotel and hosted motorsport events including hill climbs.
Edward Winslow

Edward Winslow was born in Droitwich on 18 October 1595, son of a prosperous salt manufacturer. He was educated at King's School, Worcester. Winslow played a significant role in the Mayflower journey and the early years of Plymouth Colony. In 1620, he was one of the signatories of what became known as the ‘Mayflower Compact’, a document seen by many as the birth of America’s democratic system of government. Winslow is depicted here aboard the Mayflower holding said document.

Find out more about Edward Winslow
John Heminges (1566-1630)

William Shakespeare’s First Folio was a collection of 36 works published in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death. It was brought together by John Heminges and Henry Condell. Many of Shakespeare’s plays had not previously been published, and so it is likely that without the First Folio, these plays would have been lost to us today.

John Heminges was baptised at St Peter-de-Witton Church in Droitwich on 25 November 1566. He was a friend of Shakespeare, and a co-founder of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men (the playing company for which Shakespeare wrote during most of his career) and the Globe Theatre. Some sources credit Heminges with originating the role of Falstaff, a primarily comic figure appearing in three of Shakespeare’s plays. Heminges is depicted here in character as Falstaff, drinking tea with Shakespeare. Did you know, people used to have afternoon tea in the Brine Baths?

Find out more about John Heminges
Mosaics of Sacred Heart Church

The Church of the Sacred Heart and Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, England, is a fine Grade II listed building containing stunning mosaics and sculpture. These mosaics are represented on the back wall of the artwork where a little girl can be found piecing the mosaics together.

The church is based on the basilica churches of Ravenna following visits made to this ancient Italian city by the donor Walter Loveridge Hodgkinson, by the artist Gabriel Pippet, and by the architect Frank Barry Peacock, F.R.I.B.A.

The mosaics are considered among the finest in England. They were designed by Gabriel Pippet and carried out by the mosaicists Maurice Josey and Fred Oates. Mosaics are composed of “tesserae” – coloured pieces of Venetian glass.

The church is grade II listed and is open to the public daily. For more information visit http://www.sacredheartdroitwich.org.uk/
Queen Aethelflaed

The woman on horseback is Queen Aethelflaed, often called the Lady of the Mercia. She was a formidable ruler in early medieval England and is remembered not just as a warrior queen, but as a strategic and diplomatic force. She was the eldest daughter of Alfred the Great and became the de facto ruler of Mercia after her husband’s death. She was known for her military prowess across Mercia and in 912 AD, she is believed to have led a military campaign to defend Droitwich Spa, then known as Wich, from Viking invaders.

According to local lore and reenactments, a Viking longboat sailed up the River Salwarpe aiming to attack the town. Aethelflaed rallied her forces and successfully repelled the invasion.

Sources:

https://www.droitwichcanals.co.uk/vikings.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelfl%C3%A6d
Severn Trows

The small boat on the right side of the design is a Severn Trow, playfully depicted with a Roman figure sat on the side, steering it by remote control for a novelty twist. This style of boat was used to transport salt from Droitwich following completion of the Droitwich Barge Canal in 1771. Trows were towed up and down the canal with the sails and the hinged masts lowered to go under the bridges by men as had been done for years, until 1806 when the proprietors agreed to make a tow path suitable for horses. The Droitwich Salt industry depended not only on the export of common salt across the country and further afield, but also for the import of coal from Staffordshire and the Forest of Dean for the boiling of brine to make crystalline salt. The salt-carrying trows generally returned empty to preserve the purity of the salt, but in cases of “back” cargo it would be a “clean” commodity such as wheat.

Find out more about Droitwich and the Severn Trows
Roman goddesses

The four portraits on the back wall represent the twelve Roman goddesses that have been depicted inside buses that run between Worcester, Droitwich Spa, Bromsgrove and Birmingham. In 2019, the buses on the 144 Salt Road bus service were renamed after goddesses to pay homage to the town’s salt heritage and roman roots.

Apprentice Bursary Information Sheet

Wychavon District Council are funding support for more young people to complete an apprenticeship by providing a bursary scheme to support with associated travel, clothing and/or equipment and tool costs.

Travel Bursary - Maximum of £50 per month for up to 6 months
Clothing Bursary - One-off Grant payment, maximum value £75
Tools or Equipment Bursary - One-off Grant payment, maximum value £100

You can apply for all three - Travel, Clothing and Tools/ Equipment

Apprentices will need to meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

Aged 16 – 24 years
The apprentice must reside within the District of Wychavon

Apprenticeship Criteria

Must be an approved Apprenticeship standard or framework meeting the apprenticeship funding and guidance rules (all levels and sectors apply)
The Training Organisation must be on the approved register to deliver the apprenticeship

The bursary is subject to a successful application to Wychavon District Council and the availability of funds. Wychavon District Council reserves the right to award or reject bursary applications. The scheme will be run on a first come first served basis, with bursaries awarded only on successful approval of a bursary application.

Please ensure you only submit one application form
The application for funds must be submitted during the period of the Apprenticeship, applications received once the apprenticeship is complete will not be considered.

The bursary will be payable by Wychavon District Council direct to the Apprentice following the supply of evidence for costs to be incurred.

Evidence Requirements

Fully completed application form
Two validated Quotations for any costs to be incurred
Receipts for any expenditure made

For further information contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 01386 565513