Tiled mural by Gyula Bajó at former Co-operative House

Tiled mural by Gyula Bajó of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Architects’ Department, attached to Co-operative House, the former commercial premises of the Letchworth, Hitchin and District Co-operative Society, built between 1956 and 1958, now Primark.

MATERIALS: The tiled mural is composed of 800 vitrified ceramic tiles with coloured enamel glazes, which were fired at 900 degrees Centigrade.

PLAN: The former commercial premises of the Letchworth, Hitchin and District Co-operative Society, now Primark, stands at the south-east corner of the Town Square at the junction of Town Square and Queensway. The tiled mural is located at the east end of the north elevation and spans the first and second floors, measuring approximately 8m x 6m (27 ft x 20 ft). The mural is 25 tiles wide on the Town Square elevation and extends around the Queensway elevation with a line of single tiles.

DESCRIPTION: The painted scheme depicts the ‘four cornerstones of a balanced economy – Industry, Commerce, Transport and Agriculture’ (CWS, 1960). The architecture of the New Town is depicted in the top-left corner, heavy industry and transport in the top-right corner, stylised female figures with a spinning-wheel and finished products represent textiles and consumer goods, and the bottom half of the mural represents agriculture and the family unit. Beneath the mural, a cantilevered canopy serves to underline and emphasise the tiled mural whilst pilotis attach it to the ground and define the canted entrance to the building. A Primark sign was attached to the north-east corner and electrical signage added over the cantilevered canopy in the early C21; this signage is not of special interest and is excluded from the listing.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 29 April 2022 to correct a typo in description.