A little piece of Crawley’s history is back on display in the town centre.
The Queen’s Mosaic, which was built in the 1958s by master mosaic fixer Len Baker, from Carter Tiles, has been restored and installed in the all-new Memorial Gardens Play Area.
Crawley Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and the Mayor of Crawley met Mr Baker’s daughter, Jeannie Smith, to celebrate its new home.
Originally situated in Queens Square, the mosaic depicts chess boards and a scene from the Lewis Carroll classic, Alice in Wonderland.
The mosaic was removed from Queens Square in the 1990s and recently installed in Memorial Gardens in the town centre as part as part of the all-new play area. It now sits on display in the picnic area.
Cabinet member for Wellbeing, Councillor Chris Mullins, said: “I am delighted the mosaic has a new home, it was a treasured part of Queens Square for many years and the play area is the perfect place for such a fun, imaginative piece of art.”
Mayor of Crawley, Councillor Francis Guidera, said: “It was lovely to meet Jeannie and see the mosaic in its new home, it looks fantastic and I’m so pleased that future generations will be able to enjoy it. A happy ending for the mosaic!”
Jeannie Smith said: “I didn’t know about the mosaic until I moved to Crawley and my father told me he’d made it, it’s wonderful to see it and I know my dad would be very happy and proud to see it on display.”