Inside Reading’s new Station Hill mural – and who's really in it

The first complete guide to Reading’s most talked-about new artwork

The magnificent new mural on Station Hill has transformed the area, especially when lit up in full technicolour at night. Picture: Marcus Peel

From Paddington and Kate Winslet to unsung local heroes, Reading’s boldest new mural has everyone talking – and lots misreading. The Reading Reporter is here to guide you through the story behind every character shown.

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The hulking glass tower of ONE Station Hill has attracted many admiring glances since its construction – but it is the artwork nestled in the building’s shadow that has already won hearts across Reading.

Created by local artists Kev Munday and Stuart Melrose, the 51-metre long mural outside the station’s main entrance captures the town’s soul.

We’ve all had that moment: the “did Paddington really just blink at me?” shock, when you realise that this mural is a living testimony to so many of this town’s most treasured characters.

From everyone’s favourite Peruvian bear to unsung local heroes, the mural – entitled Royals, Residents & A Rock Festival – contains references to cultural and social icons as well as the beautiful natural environment that surrounds us.

By day it is a flowing, monochrome sketch, but by night it comes alive in a dazzling display of colour, becoming a vibrant, utopian world full of intriguing shapes and hidden details.

Munday and Melrose consulted children from 12 local schools for their ideas of what makes Reading great, as well as historians and councillors. Munday – who lives in Basingstoke – transformed their ideas into drawings in his own inimitable style, before Melrose – from Tadley – used his sculptural and technical wizardry to construct the landmark we now see. Both were funded by developers Lincoln MGT as part of a massive £1.5million investment in artwork alone to transform this neglected, concrete alley into a warm, inviting gateway to the town.

But for all the brilliance of the artwork and the vision of the developers, one question does remain on many local lips: just who really is in this mural?

Below is the first complete and comprehensive guide that explains exactly who and what makes up every single element of the brilliant Station Hill mural – plus why these things are so significant to the town.

So next time you’re stood outside the station thinking, “is that really Ricky Gervais?”, or “why’s that man’s head on the end of a stick?”, simply open The Reading Reporter’s ultimate, section-by-section guide, and find out…

Stuart Melrose and Kev Munday, the local designer and artist who collaborated to create the mural . Picture: Marcus Peel

1 Nature

Munday says his work is “alive with characters, creatures and hidden details, waiting to be discovered and interpreted by the viewer”. Nature and green spaces are at the heart of it, with trees, clouds and even a pine cone used to fill gaps between the main characters, but the wildlife is (mostly) specific to Reading. Look closely and you’ll see a dog, sheep, caterpillar, duck, ladybird, chicken, heron, fox, owl, pigeon, badger, kingfisher, deer, hedgehog and, yes, even a Highland cow. But can you tell which is which?

2 The Hexagon

Opened in 1977, the distinctive shape of Reading’s largest arts venue – capacity 1,686 – has made it iconic. The accompanying masks on the mural reflect its use as a theatre but The Hexagon became nationally famous for its hosting of snooker events in the 1980s and beyond.

3 Sir John Madejski

Mr Reading? Took Reading Football Club from the verge of extinction in 1990 to the Premier League for the first time in its history in 2006 – and built a new stadium. Sir John made his fortune by founding car sales magazine Auto Trader and his Bentley was often spotted around town. Chancellor of the University of Reading (2007-16), he has long championed education and arts here through his charitable donations.

4 Smelly Alley

Union Street on the map; Smelly Alley in the hearts – and noses – of locals. Once home to four butchers, four greengrocers and two fishmongers, if you squeezed down this cut-through from Broad Street to Friar Street during its bustling heyday, then you’ll never forget that unique “aroma”.

5 Prospect Park

Reading’s largest open space gets its name from the far-reaching views from the top of its hill by the Mansion House. Home to football pitches, tennis courts, crazy golf and much more, including two giant climbing towers, which make it the go-to playground for any local kid.

6 Sport

During their workshops with local schools, kids kept telling Munday and Melrose how much they liked sports. Their favourite games, including football, tennis, cricket and watersports, are a recurring theme of the mural.

7 Marianne Faithfull

A cultural icon ever since the Swinging Sixties, when she sang pop hits including “As Tears Go By” and collaborated with The Rolling Stones, most notably Mick Jagger, her then partner. Marianne was raised in Reading and attended school at St Joseph’s on Upper Redlands Road.

8 Tubular Bells

The mesmerising sound of Mike Oldfield’s greatest hit has haunted many a dream since it was used as the theme for horror movie The Exorcist in 1973. Oldfield was born and raised in Reading, and the mural contains the signature shape of a bent tubular bell from the artwork of his 1974 album, which has sold 15million copies worldwide.

9 Beryl Cook

Colourful, comic, flamboyant, cheeky, often raunchy but always fun – Beryl’s art is among the most loved in Britain. Raised in Reading and attended Kendrick School but had no artistic training, yet her full-figured, scantily-clad, working-class characters simply celebrated life.

10 Mr Tumble’s bag

Every parent in Britain in the past 20 years has surely at some point welcomed Mr Tumble and his spotty bag into their home. The creation of local TV presenter Justin Fletcher, the groundbreaking CBeebies show Something Special was specifically aimed at helping preschool children with delayed learning and communication difficulties, but was loved by all.

11 Swans on the River Thames

Every swan on the river is indeed owned by the King – or the Seigneur of the Swans, to give his alternative title. Each year a swan census is performed, where the birds are rounded up, caught, ringed then re-released in a ceremony known as “swan upping”. The cones in the background here are a playful interpretation of trees.

12 Reading Canoe Club

Named as one favourite local activity during the school workshops, Reading Canoe Club has its home down the dark tree-lined lane of The Warren in Caversham. Its spot on the banks of the river – and sprawling clubhouse – make it the perfect spot to learn kayaking.

13 South Street Arts Centre

The Hexagon’s little brother, perhaps – but it’s the place to go for critically-acclaimed touring theatre, music, comedy and spoken word in an intimate venue. Since opening in 1989 it has hosted the likes of Jack Dee, Eddie Izzard and Michael McIntyre on their road to stardom.

14 I.T.

Reading’s transformation into major tech town was started in 1964 when the American computing firm Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) established its first UK office here, and the likes of Microsoft, Oracle, HP and Huawei have followed, with bases at Thames Valley Park, Green Park and Winnersh. The tech cluster has seen Reading called “the UK’s Silicon Valley”.

15 The Empire Windrush

The Windrush generation – named symbolically after the ship that landed in Britain in 1948 carrying immigrants from the Caribbean – have made a huge contribution to life in Reading. They came to fill post-World War Two labour shortages and helped to rebuild Britain. Reading is now home to the largest Bajan community outside Barbados.

16 Ricky Gervais

The man who gave The Office – and David Brent – to the world. Raised in Whitley, Gervais has always grounded his comedy in Reading-specific jokes, even naming his 2010 movie Cemetery Junction. Also won global fame with Extras, After Life and as an eviscerating host of the Golden Globes.

17 The Khanda

The religious symbol of Sikhism. Every year the festival of Vaisakhi marks the founding of the Sikh community in 1699, and the Nagar Kirtan parade has become an annual tradition in Reading. After a break due to Covid, the parade returned in 2024 with 2,000 people marching from Cumberland Road to London Road in a festival of music, prayers, martial arts and colourful floats.

18 Shinfield studios

A touch of Hollywood on our doorstep, one of the largest new film and television studios in the UK opened in 2024 and has already seen blockbuster work produced on site, including Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Star Wars - The Acolyte and Netflix raunch-fest Bridgerton.

19 Flower

Part of Munday and Melrose’s brief was to represent the 3Bs industrial heritage of Reading – beer, bulbs and biscuits – and these flowers are a recurring theme to highlight the bulbs element. Suttons Seeds was founded in Reading in 1806 by John Sutton and became an international supplier of flower and vegetable seeds.

20 Catherine, Princess of Wales

Once known simply as Kate Middleton, the girl born in Reading and raised nearby in the village of Bucklebury is now married to the future king. On the day in 2011 she wed Prince William at Westminster Abbey, the nation stopped for one giant party – but here the news headline simply read: “Local girl gets married”.

21 Boat on the River Kennet

Reading’s other river, it flows from Wiltshire until joining The Thames under East Reading’s landmark horseshoe bridge. The confluence was historically a major driver of trade through Reading… and yes, that is a fish next to the boat.

22 Reading Station

Queen Elizabeth II opened the revamped station in 2014 after an £897million upgrade, which transformed the face of Reading. With its 15 platforms and fast, direct route into and out of London Paddington, Reading remains the gateway to the entire west half of England and beyond. More than 13million passengers used it between April 2023 and March 2024.

23 Church

Some of Reading’s many churches appear on the mural, although Munday is unsure which ones! They are difficult to identify, so answers on a postcard please…

24 Dr Ethelwynn Trewavas

Depicted along with two of the fish she devoted her life to studying, Dr Trewavas was a beloved and revered zoologist at the University of Reading and British Museum. More fish species have been named in her honour than most other icthyologists, including the Lake Malawi cichlid Labeotropheus trewavasae and the deep-sea dwelling eel Rhynchoconger trewavasae.

25 RASPO - steel drum band

Reading All Steel Percussion Orchestra is an award-winning steel band, bringing a flavour of the Caribbean and a joyful atmosphere wherever they play – and that has included Glastonbury, the Royal Albert Hall and Notting Hill Carnival.

26 Broad Street Mall

The shopping centre that became the centre of town life after opening in 1971, when it was known as the Butts Centre (named after St Mary’s Butts, the thoroughfare which in turn took its name from the medieval archery butts on the site in front of Reading Minster). Currently home to Wilko, the Biscuit Factory and Jelly arts charity.

27 Reading buses

The town’s bus service is nationally acclaimed, winning multiple industry awards. The local schoolchildren also love their colourful designs, nominating several for the mural, including the Leopard No 3 (which runs from Reading town centre to Wokingham via Shinfield and Arborfield), the Lime No 2 (from the town centre to Mortimer via Burghfield Common), and – of course – the iconic purple No 17, the vital arterial route running east-west through town from The Three Tuns on the Wokingham Road to the Tilehurst Water Tower.

28 Reading Festival

This microphone is the first reference of several on the mural to the town’s most famous cultural event. There’s also a wristband, a keyboard, a guitar and then finally the Festival’s main stage itself, next to a message of peace. A whopping 105,000 festivalgoers cram onto the site at Little John’s Farm every year (with 70,000 attending the sister site in Leeds) making it the UK’s second-largest festival, behind only Glastonbury. Over the years there have been legendary performances by the likes of Nirvana, The Prodigy, Foo Fighters and, last year, Chappell Roan.

29 The circus

Prospect Park has played host to many a travelling fair, from the traditional rides and games of Carters Steam Fair to the big tops of Circus Wonderland and Circus Zyair, all setting up on the land next to Liebenrood Road.

30 Tutu Melaku

The owner of Tutu’s Ethiopian Table in Palmer Park did not even know she was on the mural until someone pointed her out, according to Munday. But few deserve a place more than Tutu, whose community cafe is a hub for local people and a welcoming social connection for the elderly.

31 Rivermead

We all miss the wave machine from the old pool, but the recent revamp has transformed the leisure centre into a flagship facility. A 120-station gym, an eight-lane swimming pool, a diving and teaching pool, plus pickleball courts and a dance academy are just some of what’s on offer.

32 Rams RFC

Reading’s premier rugby club are on the up. Based on the Old Bath Road in Sonning and with over 100 years of history, the club formerly known as Redingensians (due to the founders’ connection with Reading School) now play in National League 1 – the third tier of English rugby.

33 Kate Winslet

The girl from the Oxford Road shot to international fame in 1997 when she starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic (and yes, that is the infamous boat next to her). She has since become one of the world’s leading actors, scooping up an Oscar, BAFTAs and championing Reading all the way.

34 The Blade

Abbey Mill House – the name only its mother calls it – is the tallest building in Reading at 86 metres, thanks to the piercing spire that inspires the nickname the rest of town knows it by. Constructed in 2009, The Blade is 14 stories high and has become an icon of Reading’s skyline.

35 Matthew Syed

Olympian, table tennis champion, bestselling author and cultural commentator with The Times and the BBC – the Ping Pong Guy has had quite the career. His life of high performance and diverse thinking all began in Reading, where Syed attended Maiden Erlegh School.

36 City of Sanctuary

Reading is part of the movement to provide welcome for refugees and asylum seekers. Partnerships between charities such as Resettlement, institutions like the University of Reading and Rising Sun Arts Centre, and individual citizens aim to weave sanctuary into the fabric of our community.

37 Station Hill

The development responsible for this mural. The ONE Station Hill tower is already open, as are the Ebb & Flow apartment blocks, with Friars Walk providing a link between the station and Friar Street lined with independent shops, places to eat and drink, greenery and public art. Siren Craft Brew’s flagship bar is already on site.

38 Craft brewing

The craft beer scene in Reading is thriving, with Siren, Double-Barrelled, Loddon and more brewing up a storm. Phantom’s recent closure was a sad loss, but the many taprooms around town have become firm favourites. Loddon’s countryside setting is a real treat – if you can scale the hill to get there!

39 SCL Stadium

Reading Football Club’s home since 1998, when Sir John Madejski took the Royals from the crumbling terraces of Elm Park to a shiny new 24,000-capacity all-seater stadium bearing his name. Promotion to the Premier League would follow twice, first with the greatest team The Championship has ever seen. As fans still sing about their legendary points total: “We’ve got the record: 106”.

40 Reading Rep Theatre

From the cosy bar inside its beautiful brick listed building to the award-winning professional productions on its intimate stage, Reading Rep oozes charm. Artistic director Paul Stanley, himself a disabled practitioner, prizes inclusivity and breaks down barriers to accessing theatre.

41 Neil Papworth

Not many software engineers earn places on a mural – but only one has sent the first ever text message. In December 1992 while working for SEMA Group Telecoms in Reading, Neil typed two immortal words to a client who was enjoying a party: “Merry Christmas”.

42 Sonning Bridge postbox

A duck floats happily along the Thames, unaware of the bizarre sight that appeared overnight in 2013 – a red Royal Mail post box on a buttress just above the water level, so completely inaccessible by foot. Cheeky local artist Impro had struck, and his thought-provoking pranks are a regular feature in the village.

43 TV

Lurking behind the dog here is an old-fashioned television box – not Reading specific but one of Munday’s own artistic ideas.

44 Bruno the Brake Car

One of Thomas the Tank Engine’s best pals, Bruno is also the first autistic character to appear in the beloved children’s TV series. He is voiced by Elliott Garcia from Reading, a young actor who is also autistic. Elliott was just nine years old when first cast in 2022, and described their similarities, including how both he and Bruno wear ear defenders to cope with loud noises.

45 Reading Rockets

The town’s basketball team, inspired by Azeri coach Samit Nuruzade, regularly sells out their Loddon Valley Leisure Centre home, and won a magnificent trophy treble in 2024-25: the KitKing Trophy, the National Cup and the Championship playoffs.

46 Fobney Island Weir

A wetland nature reserve was created on the River Kennet in 2013, on the floodplains south of Southcote, including this “zig-zag weir”. A wildflower meadow, hay meadow and reed bed habitats attract wildlife, with over 100 species of bird now spotted, including Kingfisher, Nightingale and Willow Warbler.

47 Dance

The schoolchildren were keen to show their love of dance. Reading School of Dance, which specialises in street and commercial – a high-energy hybrid of styles from hip-hop to jazz and ballet – received a special mention. Not surprising if you’ve ever seen the masterful teacher Derice in action!

48 The Purple Turtle

Reading’s most iconic late-night venue for more than 30 years – everyone’s got a story about the Turtle. Nowadays it is a sprawling, cavernous bar with a huge garden, and it even shot to international fame in 2017 when video emerged of a man being hit by an out-of-control bus, only to then get straight back up and walk into the Turtle.

49 Reading Toy Run

2,000 bikers dressed as Santa – what’s not to love? The charity ride – run by Reading Christian Motorcyclists just before Christmas every year since 1985 – is an extraordinary sight, as presents are delivered to Bernados for children across the country… but there’s no sign of Rudolph!

50 An upside-down duck

Because no mural is complete without one.

51 Lodge School of Theatre Dance

If you’re looking to find the next Billy Elliott, then head over to Holmes Road, where you’ll find the next generation of theatrical performers learning their craft. Kids enjoy dance classes – including ballet, tap and jazz – plus drama, singing lessons and more.

52 Skateparks

Caversham has long been a hub for skaters, but the new £375,000 skatepark at John Rabson Rec in Whitley has quarterpipes, a volcano, grind rail, ramps, a bowl and much more for skateboarders and BMXers to test their extreme sports skills.
P.S. Look out for the skateboard flying off the half-pipe!

53 Apex

Icon or eyesore, the pink office block attached to the station certainly divided opinion, with some even calling it the “Spam building”. But the former Apex Plaza has had a makeover, and its new grey and orange facade contains a thriving commercial community, premium facilities and the best location imaginable for transport links.

54 Banksy’s prison art

Oscar Wilde wrote the Ballad of Reading Gaol while incarcerated there for gross indecency in 1897, and world-famous street artist Banksy continued the prison’s cultural lineage with his work entitled Create Escape, which popped up under cover of darkness one night in 2021. It depicts a prisoner escaping down the Gaol’s imposing brick walls by climbing a rope made from sheets of paper tied together, with a typewriter attached at the bottom.

55 Diamond ring

A sparkly detail inspired by one local schoolchild’s drawing.

56 St Mary’s Church

Yes it’s a bit confusing that there are two churches dedicated to St Mary almost within touching distance – but its six neoclassical columns make this one of Reading’s most instantly-recognisable churches. The portico was added in 1840, with the original church a Georgian building.

57 Sound Machine

The vinyl record player and old-school boom box represent Reading’s longest-established independent record collector’s shop. Based in the graceful 1930s walkway of Harris Arcade, this is the place to go in town for classic rock, pop and soul music.

58 Mushrooms from Beale Park

Beale Wildlife Park – or the Peacock Farm as those of a certain age might remember it – has for decades been a great family day out. Go and see the Arctic fox, tapir, armadillo and reindeer, let off steam in the play areas, take a ride around the park on the 1.6km-long narrow gauge railway, or just enjoy the nature of Lower Basildon.

59 The Oracle

Named after an old workhouse that once existed on the site, this is the shopping mall that transformed the town centre when it opened in 1999. You’ll find the likes of Next and Hollywood Bowl here, along with a selection of riverside restaurants and bars straddling the fast-flowing waters of the evocatively-named “Brewery Gut” section of the River Kennet.

60 Car

You might need to look closely, but that is the front aspect of a car, with a view through the windscreen to a steering wheel and rearview mirror.

61 Beer and wine glasses

Another reference to Reading’s 3Bs heritage. While nowadays the likes of Double-Barrelled are leading the craft brew revolution, from the 18th Century to the first half of the 20th it was Simonds Brewery that served beer to our thirsty nation. Courage took over in 1960 before the historic brewery left for good in 2010, opening the door for the new generation of brewers in town.

62 Mr Happy

There are a few characters on the mural with no reference to anything – and they tend to be simply very happy chappies drawn in Munday’s signature style.

63 Boots

Quite why a local schoolchild decided to draw a pair of boots remains a mystery – but their design is now immortalised!

64 Paddington

Everyone’s favourite bear originally comes from “darkest Peru” – but did you know that his creator, Michael Bond, grew up in Reading? Bond took inspiration from the children evacuated from London during World War II, who arrived at stations like Reading with a small suitcase and a name tag around their neck.

65 Train

Appropriately enough, Paddington sits alongside a train. With the full arrival of the Elizabeth Line in 2022, there are now even more frequent services to get him to the Brown family residence.

66 The “Armoured Heart”

Made from melted-down knives surrendered in amnesty bins around town, this sculpture was another work by Melrose. Installed at The Oracle in 2023, it sent a message of hope and peace, while reminding people of the risks and devastating consequences of knife crime.

67 Maiwand Lion

The defining symbol of Reading, this mighty sculpture sits atop a plinth in Forbury Gardens. It commemorates the deaths of 329 local soldiers on 27 July 1880 in the Battle of Maiwand, which took place near Kandahar during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

68 Reading Abbey

An aspect of the ruins from Forbury Gardens. Reading Abbey was founded in 1121 by King Henry I, who is buried there. No expense was spared in its construction and the Abbey became one of Europe’s largest royal monasteries and most important sites in medieval England. It was mostly destroyed after 1538 during Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries.

69 Climate change bus

Perhaps Reading’s most distinctive bus of all. This natural gas-powered bus is decorated with the Climate Stripes created by Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading to show how the world’s average temperature has rapidly become hotter in recent years. It aims to remind people that bus travel is one of the easiest ways to cut carbon emissions. Another reference to sustainable transport on the mural is a bicycle.

The Station Hill mural design in full. Image: Kev Munday

Reading’s Station Hill Mural – in numbers

57 characters with moving parts.
1 continuous piece of aluminium used for every character.
51 metres long.
1,475 total metres of aluminium.
86,876 LED light bulbs.
700 local schoolchildren (approximately) consulted for ideas, from 24 school classes.
219 square metres of HIMACS, the translucent solid surface that made the project possible.