Burgess Hill Town Council entered an agreement with Virgin Media to give some of their grey telecommunication’s boxes around the town a makeover.
Local artists are being invited to paint suitable designs on some of the street cabinets to brighten them up as well as the town. Designs will reflect a significant aspect of the community such as its history, activities in the area or nature. The designs will be approved by the Town Council and Virgin Media before painting can go ahead and neighbouring residents are also being consulted.
Below is a list of locations where you can view the wonderful designs:
St John’s Avenue (corner with Leylands Road)
Design – The poet Elizabeth Bartlett. Elizabeth Bartlett lived and wrote for many years at 17 St John’s Avenue and the design is inspired by the cover art of her first and last poetry collections – paintings of women with cats. The box is intended to look like the sides of her eight books and includes the tree in her garden (which is still there now) with lines from her poems instead of the branches.
Artist – Richard Black
Royal George Road (corner with Denham Road)
Design – portrays Burgess Hill Rugby Club which the artist’s son is in.
Artist – Betty Le Bon
Leylands Road (opposite Lidl)
Design – The old Gasholder. The gasholder was originally opened in 1950 and decommissioned in 2004. The works manager from the early 1900’s was William Norris, who lived in the Gas Company’s house next to the gasholder from 1911. He was the father of the famous brothers who designed the “Bluebird”.
Artist – Richard Black, Art Teacher and Burgess Hill resident.
London Road (near Gravett Court; opposite Thorne’s Café)
Design – View looking up to the South Downs at sunset.
Artist – Holly Sellors, a member of the Burgess Hill Artists.
Station Road (top of Keymer Parade)
Design – A bee and honeycomb.
Artists – Burgess Hill Girls – lower Sixth students Annalisa, Maddie, Natalie.
St John’s Road, corner with Church Close
Design – St John’s Church with three Martlets birds. A Martlet is a mythical heraldic bird which is thought to represent the Swift or House Martin. Martlets have been traditionally associated with Sussex for centuries and appear on the Sussex County crest.
Artist – Holly Sellors, a member of the Burgess Hill Artists.
Greenlands Close, opposite house number 2
Design – Burgess Hill Water Tower with surrounding countryside landscape
Artist – Ian McConachie, amateur artist and Burgess Hill resident, and member of the U3A Group.
Junction Road, outside house number 47
Design – J.C. Bee-Mason (film-maker, explorer, beekeeper, campaigner), to show him as he was when he lived in Burgess Hill as a bee keeper, but also include images of his days as a film maker/photographer on his expeditions to the Arctic and the Bolivian jungle. Bee-Mason lived at a couple of addresses in Burgess Hill including Santos, 20 Junction Road.
Artist – Richard Black, Art Teacher and Burgess Hill resident.
Wheatsheaf Close
Design – Tulips, rolling hills, rainbow, butterflies, trees, sun and clouds.
Artist – Jayne Crow, a member of the Burgess Hill Artists group and Burgess Hill resident.
The Town Council would like to see more Virgin Media boxes painted, so if you would like to submit a design, please email liz@burgesshill.gov.uk and include a written description and visual drawing of the design and colour scheme together with the exact location of street cabinet and box number on the cabinet.