Art that celebrates Reading has appeared as work to transform a closed department store at The Oracle takes place.
The House of Fraser at The Oracle shopping centre closed in October last year, leaving a rather large gap where the store used to be.
Its closure also meant that a Cafe Nero and the Yo Sushi conveyor belt restaurant contained in the department store had to close as well.
Since then, artwork that celebrates the town has been used to obscure work that will transform the department store into a bowling centre, fashion retailer and a new store.
At Riverside level, a mural celebrates ‘the three Bs of Reading’: beer, biscuits and bulbs referring to three major companies that made Reading their homes; H & G Simonds brewers, Huntley & Palmers biscuit makers, and Sutton and Sons.
The mural is the work of Global Street Art, by a team led by artist Kamil Dadon.
The artwork on the lower mall shows a little girl feeding bread to river birds, a nod to the River Thames and Kennet which meet in Reading.
The work, called “Reading River Birds” is the creation of Curtis Hylton, and features swans, ducks and geese made out of flowers.
This mural appeared in The Oracle in January.
Finally, at the upper mall, shoppers can see a homage to Reading Festival, represented by a woman enjoying the music amongst a crowd.
The most recent piece, the handiwork of artist Epod, appeared in March.
Epod said: “I wanted to create a scene that captures the atmosphere and energy of the audience at the Reading location, focusing on a joyful individual in the crowd who is completely taken by the moment and the music, and is in a state of euphoria.”
The ‘three Bs of Reading’ mural, celebrating 226 years of industrial heritage, obscures the work to transform the lower level of the House of Fraser and YO Sushi into Holywood Bowl.
The operators of the bowling company recently won permission to open until 12.30am each night.
READ MORE: Latest on project for bowling centre to come to The Oracle in Reading
The Reading River Birds piece obscures the unit which will be occupied by TK Maxx, with the fashion retailer and Holywood Bowl due to open in the summer of next year.
The transformation has been enabled after The Oracle operators Hammerson won permission to divide up the House of Fraser unit from Reading Borough Council.
Planning consent was granted last September, prior to the closure of the department store.
You can view the approved application by typing reference 230682 into the council’s planning portal.
The former Next Beauty & Home store closed last August.
Occupying the Debenhams store that closed in 2020, permission was granted to divide it up into three units as well.
Plans show the former Debenhams store turned into a restaurant, leisure unit and co-working space.
It is also subject of a project to add 202 apartments to The Oracle, which can be seen by typing reference 221916 into the council’s planning portal.
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