New town centre mural celebrate's Bognor's rich cultural heritage

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A new mural in Bognor Regis town centre celebrates the seaside community’s rich and varied history.

The mural, which is being worked on by popular artist and illustrator Ben Cavanagh, takes pride of place on London Road and depicts some of the animal residents living in the zoos that operated in Hotham Park from the 1950s to the late 1980s.

The Zoos were home to bears, lions, tigers, monkeys and exotic birds, as well as more common animals like goats, sheep and rabbits. It’s a rich and important part of Bognor’s history, which shapes many residents’ most abiding memories of life in the town, and, by scanning the QR code on the mural, visitors will be able to learn more about the history zoos in Bognor Regis via a new page of the Love Bognor Regis website, developed in partnership with the Bognor Regis Museum.

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It’s the latest art installation delivered by the Bognor Regis Business Improvement District (BID) using funds from Arun District Council’s allocation from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and follows on from the opening of the Augmented Reality Bognor Regis Time Portal in late March and has since recorded 20,000 activations.

Ben Cavanagh works on the mural.Ben Cavanagh works on the mural.
Ben Cavanagh works on the mural.

BID COO, Heather Allen said: “Businesses want the BID to deliver activity that changes the way people think about the town. This project, celebrating Bognor Regis’s vibrant heritage through really visible installations does just that. It’s exciting to support an initiative that showcases the town’s rich history in a fun and accessible way, and also makes the town more welcoming. Ben is a brilliantly talented local artist, and it’s fantastic to be able to give him the opportunity to showcase his work in a prominent location again.”

Both installations are part of a wider project intended to change perceptions of Bognor Regis, which was identified as a priority aim by local partners working with the Bognor Regis Town Centre Forum, which includes representatives from the town council, the district council, Bognor’s regeneration board, and West Sussex County Council.

From improved signposting, big belly bins and community projects like the Taste! Food Festival, it’s one of a raft of improvements driven by the BID to change perceptions of the town.

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