Mural celebrating town’s heritage causes a stir in South Wigston

Published: Wednesday, 26 February 2025

A striking new mural featuring an historic visionary has created a buzz among residents in South Wigston.

The mural on the corner of Albion Street and Blaby Road has been commissioned by Oadby & Wigston Borough Council (OWBC) and designed in collaboration with the Greater Wigston Historical Society (GWHS), and pays tribute to the ‘Builder of South Wigston’, Orson Wright.

The new artwork forms part of a series of small public realm improvement works taking place across the borough, to make its town centres more appealing for visitors and shoppers alike. The works make use of Government funding specifically for town centres.

At an event held to unveil the mural and celebrate the opening of the new Greater Wigston Heritage Centre attendees were able to learn more about Wright and the history of the area. Peter Cousins from the GWHS also delivered a talk and a tour of South Wigston’s notable buildings - many of which were built by Wright himself.

Peter Cousins said: “Without the vision of Orson Wright, the town would probably never have been built. It’s important that this history isn’t lost, and it’s great to see him recognised in such a prominent way.

“Wright saw the potential of the expansion of the railway, the famous ‘Wigston Triangle’, and after buying the land, set about building the town to house railway workers, builders and later for the expanding boot and shoe industry.

“His business empire in South Wigston included two hotels, a woodyard, an iron foundry, a hat and cap factory and an electrical engineering works. Not a bad achievement for a lad who left school penniless at eight years old!”

A floral installation is also livening up The Parade, Oadby, and work is underway on a mural on Leicester Road, Wigston, telling the story of the town from Vikings to framework knitters to the World Wars.

The installations were designed and painted by award-winning Leicester company, Graffwerk, who are considered national leaders in the street art scene.

Wigston town centre will also see new bike racks, benches and wayfinding posts installed as part of wider works to improve the public realm.

Cllr Lee Bentley, Deputy Leader at OWBC, said: “Investing in our town centres and making them vibrant and welcoming places to visit with their own unique identities is very important to us.

“It’s vital that we keep our history alive and we’re pleased to have worked with the GWHS to ensure the murals in South Wigston and Wigston reflect the story of those communities.

“I hope that people from all generations will now be inspired to learn more about our heritage, and be proud of where they come from.”

All the works have been funded by the UK Government, through a specific funding pot for public realm improvements.