The Bridge Inn: Back to when a ‘magic’ mural was uncovered at a Shoreham pub

Remember when a ‘magic’ mural dating back to the 1950s was uncovered in Shoreham?
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The mosaic was discovered at The Bridge Inn in April 2009 during refurbishment.

It was thought to be more than 60 years old and depicted Shoreham Airport, with the main terminal building, an aircraft hangar and several aircraft featuring in the mosaic.

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Imogen Trickett, landlady at the time, said: “It’s a bit of a magic picture – if you’re up close, it looks like a bit of a mess, but if you stand back, all of a sudden, you get it all.

Imogen Trickett with the mural at The Bridge Inn in Shoreham. Picture: Stephen Goodger S17007h9Imogen Trickett with the mural at The Bridge Inn in Shoreham. Picture: Stephen Goodger S17007h9
Imogen Trickett with the mural at The Bridge Inn in Shoreham. Picture: Stephen Goodger S17007h9
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“It’s been received brilliantly. The old landlord told me about it, so I got the sledgehammer out and had a look. The customers love it.

“The pub was a building site when we first uncovered it but I think we had lots of people coming in to have a look. “

The mural was the width of the pub’s old chimney breast and many of the pub’s regulars believed it depicted a red de Havilland aeroplane.

The mural of Shoreham Airport found at The Bridge Inn in Shoreham. Picture: Stephen Goodger S17012h9The mural of Shoreham Airport found at The Bridge Inn in Shoreham. Picture: Stephen Goodger S17012h9
The mural of Shoreham Airport found at The Bridge Inn in Shoreham. Picture: Stephen Goodger S17012h9
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Imogen said at the time: “The rumour is that it was actually made by the guy who designed the airport. Apparently, it was a hobby of his.”

Shoreham Airport began as a municipal airfield in 1936 and The Bridge Inn opened in 1939, although it was closed after two weeks because of the war.

Since taking over the pub in 2008, Imogen had been trying to track down locals from around the time the pub opened.

“I wouldn’t say that any of us are historians but it’s good fun and there’s a lot of interesting history around here,” she said.

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Sadly, further renovations at The Bridge in the past few years have resulted in the mural being covered up again.

The current Bridge team believes it is still on the wall but it has been boarded over and they cannot get access to it.

If you are interested in history, you may like to read about Lancing Carriage Works. CLICK here to find out how its closure affected people in the village

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