The Talbot: History & Heritage Legacy Mural
WeTheSeeds (Public Arts Placemaking UK) was commissioned by Wychavon District Council to research, engage, design and install three history & heritage, hand-painted town centre legacy murals in Driotwich Spa.
Wychavon District Council x The Talbot
The process
When Wychavon District Council commissioned WeTheSeeds (Public Arts Placemaking UK) to create a heritage mural in Droitwich Spa, the project was about more than just painting artwork on a wall. It was about honouring the town’s identity and giving residents something they could truly call their own - building a positive, lasting legacy that honoured the past and inspired the future.
Droitwich Spa is a place with a rich cultural story to tell — from its world-renowned salt production and brine baths to its distinctive M5 radio towers. To uncover the details that mattered most, we carried out local research and hosted a community workshop, promoted through local Facebook ads and bespoke workshop media. The free community engagement event gave residents the chance to share memories and highlight what they value about their town.
During the design phase, we developed several versions of the mural, sharing each with the client and key stakeholders. Stakeholder and steering group feedback guided refinements, allowing us to make amendments and ensure the final design accurately reflected both the modern community’s voice and the town’s heritage.
Workshop data & design process iterations below:
Growing the seeds
The chosen canvas was the side of The Talbot pub, a well-known high-street business in the town. Upon approval of the final design, we set an installation date and pre-prepared resources alongside risk and method statements!
Accessing the full height of the wall using a scissor lift, our team carefully hand-painted the mural directly onto the brickwork over a 7 week installation period. Each brushstroke was an act of craft and care — a collaboration between history, place, and community.
Today, the mural transforms The Talbot into more than just a pub; but a colourful celebration of heritage that locals and new visitors alike can connect with.
By listening to local voices, shaping the design around community stories, and hand-painting the piece with care and attention, the mural turned the blank wall into a shared community-rich story — one that belongs to Droitwich Spa and the people who call it home.
To share this journey more widely, we also created a short YouTube video documenting the research and design process, giving viewers a exclusive “behind-the-scenes” look at how the mural came to life pre-installation.
Images of the final history and heritage legacy mural in Worcestershire can be found below:
Throughout the project we captured behind the scenes photos and videos of the painting process, which we shared across social media to bring the wider community along on the journey!
The mural reached local press and received positive coverage.
To find out more about the history & heritage legacy mural, click below:
As trusted Urban Hygiene applicators, we applied an Urban Hygiene anti-graffiti varnish to the mural.
This is a clear, gloss coating and does not affect the artwork, yet protects the artwork from vandalism. For more on this, click here.
