Reading's Station Hill mural: the complete insider's guide
The hidden stories behind every single character - and why they matter to Reading
Reading's landmark Station Hill mural is packed with famous faces, local heroes, historic moments and hidden references. I spoke to the artists and uncovered the stories behind every character, revealing why this remarkable artwork is really a love letter to the town.
The magnificent new mural on Station Hill has transformed the area, especially when lit up in full technicolour at night. Picture: Marcus Peel
(This is an edited extract from a story originally published by The Reading Reporter. The full version is available on Substack.)
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…
Want to know exactly who every character is in the Station Hill mural, and what is their connection to Reading?
Read the full story for free on Substack, where I reveal the details behind every single drawing on the artwork, from Catherine, Princess of Wales to Bruno the Brake Car – and an upside-down duck.
Read more: Inside Reading’s new Station Hill mural – and who's really in it
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See you there,
Chris (The Reading Reporter)