The Winter Gardens Tile Paintings

Weston-super-Mare

In 1990, Rosie was commissioned by Woodspring District Council (later transmuted into North Somerset Council) to create a series of large pictorial tile paintings for what was to become the Winter Gardens Conference Centre, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. It had been decided that each suite would be named after a Weston park. Responding to the brief, each painting reflects the particular atmosphere of a park: the panoramic view out to sea from the Prince Consort Gardens' hillside: the formal setting of grove park and its beautiful bandstand: the leafy woodland of Ashcombe Park and the wonderful annual gathering at Clarence Park for the Somerset County Cricket Festival (which, after 82 years, was to come to an end in 1996).

Rosie installed the tiles in 1991, along with six suite signs. The Conference Centre was officially opened in January 1992 by the Princess Royal.

Sadly, all the tiles were removed in 2016 prior to the ownership of the building transferring to Weston College (University Centre Weston). They are now held at Somerset Heritage Centre, Norton Fitzwarren, Taunton, but remain in the ownership of North Somerset Council.

At the time of writing, several new sites in Weston have been identified for the tile paintings. It is hoped that these pictorial tiles, which form part of the town's architectural and social history, will one day return to where they belong.

Click to enlarge

40 pages with 47 colour and 4 black and white photographs

Paperback: £8.99

ISBN: 978-0-9934072-2-2

Copyright © Rosie and Howard Smith