Town's mosaic may be on the move

A historic mosaic depicting Stourbridge's coat of arms could be taken up and moved into the town hall after development bosses backed the plan.

The mosaic is built into the floor of the Crown Centre, but fears have been growing over what will happen to it when the site is redeveloped in the next two years.

Residents have been assured by both Dudley Council and developers Modus that the mosaic will be preserved, but people in the town were still concerned about how it would fit into the new-look centre.

They have suggested moving the mosaic to the foyer of the town hall where it will be better protected and no longer at the mercy of footfall and the elements.

And Modus officials have now backed the plan saying they will speak to architects and Dudley Council about the feasibility of a move.

They said their original plan had been to encase the mosaic in concrete for protection and moving it while development took place.

They then planned to replace it at the centre's redesigned entrance. Vice-chairman of Stourbridge township council John Shepherd said he had spoken to officials at Modus to tell them of the concerns surrounding the mosaic.

"I was very pleased to hear the artwork would be safeguarded for the future but was horrified when I told it was to be sealed in concrete and removed for the work," he said.

"This is a very fragile piece as it is and has already suffered some damage and we do not want to risk it facing anymore. Bosses from Modus asked if residents had any other suggestions for the artwork and I told them a lot of people wanted to see it moved to the foyer of the town hall. There was support for this move and I was assured the matter would be discussed with both the architects and Dudley Council to see what could be done.

"Moving the mosaic into the town hall would be a lot better as if it was returned to the entrance of the Crown Centre it would still be exposed to the elements and people walking on it."

A spokesman for Modus confirmed developers were looking into the matter.

The mosaic was originally part of the old Odeon cinema and was rediscovered in 1996 when demolition work started on the building to make way for the Wilkinson's store.