Great Western Railway Murals
Birmingham Snow Hill Station
< Index Page

This is one of several colorful murals executed in the redevelopments of the city center in the 1960s and occupies the space near subway entrances below St Chad's Circus. Measuring some 300 feet by 17 feet, this tile mosaic is one of the largest murals in the world and tells the story of the development of the railways (Snow Hill Station is nearby). The two subway entrances are incorporated into the design as railway tunnels and the mural features a host of railway characters, including Dash, Snow Hill Station's much-loved dog from the turn of the century.
In the middle of St Chads Circus in Kennedy Gardens were two mosaics by Kenneth Budd placed here as part of the 1960s Inner Ring Road development. The one of is a detailed history dedicated of Snow Hill station. Over five metres high and one hundred metres in length, it is one of the largest such murals in the world. With the new ground-level road junction here the future of this mural is uncertain, but it is hoped to incorporate it into new building at Snow Hill Station. The other mural was paid for by the Irish community and depicts President Kennedy. Part of this mural has been removed to storage by the artist's son, Oliver Budd, and it is hoped to re-erect it in the Irish Quarter.