Campaign to restore Dudley's Churchill mural

A campaign has been started to restore a huge glass memorial to Winston Churchill in Dudley town centre.

The tribute to the former prime minister, originally unveiled in 1969, is made of 17 stained glass panels.

It was taken down in the early 1990s after being damaged by weather and vandalism.

Dudley MP Ian Austin, who is leading the campaign, said he was aiming for it to be restored for 2015 to mark 50 years since Churchill's death.

The glass panels on the memorial, designed by artist Edward Bainbridge Copnall, have been stored at Himley Hall ever since they were taken down.

Mr Austin said new techniques developed in the past few decades meant the problems that "dogged the mural first time round can be overcome".

'Magnificent memorial'

He said he was hoping to work with local experts, council officials and Dudley's residents to find ways to restore the memorial, which stood over the town's Churchill Precinct, and find funding for the project.

He said: "No-one who grew up in Dudley could forget the magnificent memorial to Winston Churchill.

"I can't remember the number of times I stood under the panels but I'll never forget the impact they had on me. The memorial made me understand how Churchill inspired the British people not just to fight Britain's liberty, but for the world's freedom too."

Tracy Wood, Dudley Council's cabinet member for culture, said the authority would be assessing the condition of the glass and would speak to Mr Austin about the possibility of restoring the memorial.