Welcome to
WELLS IN MOSAIC
CURRENT PROGRESS
Ruth started the actual build during the first lockdown in 2020, approx 5 years after the project was first conceived! It really does take that long to bring a project of this size and complexity through all the stages of planning and design, to the point where physical work can actually start. We now estimate 2 – 3 years to make the artwork and then the final installation onto site, but all of this depends very much on fundraising and other external factors. She starts at one edge and slowly works her way across the full circle, slicing it off first into one long strip and then into individual sections which are safely stored. The first strip was completed relatively quickly across the summer of 2020, but as you move across a circle the area obviously increases in size, hence many more boxes of design to build and store away. Ruth is very happy with the speed of progress and is now approx. 20% of the way through it. We have to say, the rest of the Wells in Mosaic team are blown away by the design’s intricacy and beauty (and this is before it’s installed and grouted)! Below are some pictures of completed items ready for storage…
DONATIONS & SPONSORSHIP


We are very grateful for the help given to us by the following organisations…
If you’d like to help bring our mosaic to life you can make a donation via the paypal link below, visit our sponsorship page via the left-hand link, or engage with one of our events via the right-hand link
OUR STORY
The project was born out of a much simpler idea at a meeting of Wells Lions Club way back in 2014, when a small decorative floor display for a Lions initiative was discussed. Steve suggested a much bigger project could be tackled and agreed to look at it. He came up with the idea of a walkable map created in mosaic. It soon became obvious that it was bigger than Lions could do alone, so it morphed into its own project. Steve approached Ruth, a local mosaic artist already known to him, whose considerable artistic input has developed the design into the spectacular piece of mosaic artwork proposed today. Others also joined the team and it then took us almost 6 years to complete the many formalities for a project of this size before the actual build could begin. We hope to see the physical result of all our hard work and get the mosaic in the ground sometime around 2023, but this is very much dependant on many factors, not least of which is funding.
We launched the completed design at a ‘grand unveiling’ event in November 2019, at The Swan Hotel in Wells. The largest part of the mosaic, taking up the centre of the circle, will be a walkable map of central Wells. The map itself will be to scale, and will also be orientated to match reality. Its level of definition is restricted only by the size of each individual mosaic tile, and whilst much of the map will show artistic representations of Wells’ features, some of Wells’ most prominent buildings will be represented in a classical, front-on aspect to make them stand out. Although the map is an important part of the whole design, we’ll also be including many fascinating features that expand the whole mosaic to 6 metres in diameter. A key feature will be a circle of gothic windows, each of which will contain a particular historical fact about Wells, along with a circle of quatrefoils containing pictorial representations of a variety of items directly linked to Wells, many of which you may have had no idea about! So the mosaic is not only useful as a map, it should also be extremely informative for both locals and visitors. And of course, no artwork depicting Wells would be complete without reference to swans and water, so the design will also incorporate many related features to ensure it is always seated firmly in Wells, even when being shown in photographs or discussed as a famous piece of mosaic art on the other side of the world.
With regard to location, we have looked at many possibilities since our project first began. Things may change again by the time Ruth has completed the work but our current choice, which has been agreed in principle with all parties involved, is somewhere within the green space near the bandstand. The red circle on this satellite picture gives you a rough idea.
The quality of the materials we use has a dramatic effect on the finished look and feel of the mosaic, as well as its longevity. We have therefore chosen one of the very best suppliers. The tiles, having been manufactured in France by Winckelmans for over 120 years, are fully vitrified with an extreme density of particles. This means they are immensely hard and exceptionally well suited to high impact zones in all environments – commercial or domestic, indoors or out, whilst their vitrification process makes them water and weather resistant. Available in over 30 heritage colours, the mellow palette and unglazed finish give the tiles a natural and harmonious feel. Their quality, durability and colour retention make them a favourite for professional mosaicists across the world.
MEET OUR TEAM
Ruth Ames-White

“Wells in Mosaic is a fantastic project and one I feel hugely privileged to be designing and creating for our wonderful city.”
Ian Ames-White

“Public Art is an important aspect of any community & to be involved in this project, providing a superb heritage for Wells, is incredibly exciting.”
Chris Winter

“As chair of Wells Civic Society, I was delighted to be able to give our complete support to this ambitious project. I believe that public art should represent contemporary design and skills as well as examples from the past, which are so well represented in Wells. I hope I can help bring this project to fruition with other members of the team and the people of Wells, for the enjoyment, and even education, of many generations of residents and visitors to Wells.”
Steve Wilson

Steve has been involved in various Wells projects but Wells in Mosaic is by far the most ambitious at the moment!
“I really believe that everyone should get involved with at least one community project in the area where they live. Can you imagine a world in which every single person contributed to their community in some way? I’m passionate about bringing this unique piece of art to Wells for many future generations of locals and visitors to enjoy, not only for the mosaic itself, but hopefully as a catalyst that leads to many other public art projects”
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Registered address: The Square, 20 Priory Rd, Wells, BA5 1SY