Within my research I was getting stuck on the Basildon Bus Station Mosaic, so I did an uncharacteristic thing and put out a little plea for help on a very popular public group on Facebook, 'Basildon Memories'. I asked "Does anybody know who designed the most recent mosaic at Basildon Bus Station? I know who did the original one but the most recent mosaics designer and source of tiles has seemed to escape local history researchers," or words to that effect.
I got a few reply's that indicated that school children were involved with the design but in a couple of days time I got a huge surprise! An email from Gary, the boss of the Hollybush Construction company who installed the most recent mosaic, a timeline of Basildon, who would have thought! He doesn't even live around this way anymore and works abroad but he keeps an eye on the Basildon Memories FB page. We exchanged a lot of emails and after also phoning up the providers of the ceramics to check on a few facts I came to my conclusion what I would write in the book.
I wrote:-
Basildon Bus Station Mosaic, Southernhay
William Gordon designed the original mosaic for Carter's of Poole. Consisting of thousands of abstract, patterned hand-printed tiles, it was said to be the largest mosaic in the country. The recent timeline of Basildon mosaic was installed after 1991 by Hollybush Construction. H & R Johnson of Stoke-on-Trent made the ceramics, and Fewster and Partners of London were the design architects. Apparently, a plaque with Mr Tony Brooks' name is installed somewhere within the mural. He was H & R Johnson's (London Office) Senior Architectural Manager and died in 1991, before it was finished.
We have kept in touch and he has told me that he has the opening of the mosaic on a video, TV cameras were there and a speech was made from the then Mayor of Basildon. The unveiling was shown on the news that night. I am anticipating receiving that video very soon so that the Basildon Heritage Group can get it put on a DVD and they will keep it for posterity and also give me a copy to send to Gary. It is just a case of his daughter actually finding the video which maybe unnamed and up in the loft, so there is a bit of searching to do and I expect she has a busy life. One has been sent already but it was only a video of family occasions.
He has also found a reference letter that states the date when the work was carried out, it happened between June 1991 and October 1991.
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