Kaleidoscopic Heritage - Bromley Old Town Hall

Kaleidoscopic Heritage – Bromley Old Town Hall

Commissioned by Castle Forge Development

Castle Forge Development commissioned Art Contact to curate a new public artwork for the recently redeveloped Old Town Hall in Bromley.
Built in 1906 and officially opened in 1907, the Old Town Hall is a Grade II listed civic landmark with a rich architectural and social history. The challenge was to introduce a significant contemporary artwork while respecting the character and heritage of the historic building.
During her visit to the site, Art Contact’s Virginia Grub explored a number of potential locations for the artwork. As the building is listed, attaching artwork directly to its historic fabric was not an option. Instead, Virginia identified an ideal space within the courtyard, where a bold artwork could make a strong visual impact while remaining sensitive to the building itself.
The Old Town Hall has recently been redeveloped by Castle Forge Development as a flexible workspace, with additional event spaces operated by Clockwise. The redevelopment has created a new setting for the building, bringing together its historic character with contemporary working and community spaces.

Finding the Artist

For the project, Virginia approached artist Andy Welland, whose practice includes vibrant murals and public art installations, including work at Newcastle Quayside.
Andy’s distinctive use of bright colours and geometric forms made him a natural fit for the project. The brief was to create a contemporary artwork inspired by the history, architecture and civic identity of the Old Town Hall, while bringing a fresh and dynamic presence to the space.
Andy embraced the challenge, looking closely at the historic references found throughout the building. In particular, he drew inspiration from the stained-glass windows, which reflect Bromley’s history and its connections with the Diocese of Rochester and the wider civic identity of Kent.
These architectural details became the starting point for a new visual language — transforming elements of the building’s heritage into something bold, contemporary and unexpected.

Kaleidoscopic Heritage

The resulting artwork, Kaleidoscopic Heritage, celebrates the relationship between the Old Town Hall’s past and its new future.
Through vibrant geometric forms and references to the building’s stained glass, Andy has created an artwork that echoes the history of the site while giving it a contemporary identity.
The work now forms part of the renewed Old Town Hall environment, connecting the building’s historic architecture with the creative and collaborative energy of its new co-working and events spaces.
Kaleidoscopic Heritage is a contemporary interpretation of a historic place — bringing the story of the Old Town Hall into a new chapter.