Historic Public Artwork Installed in Dorking

30th March 2021

Striking public artwork has been unveiled in West Street, Dorking.

The project, led by Mole Valley District Council, has been realised in partnership with the Town Centre Forum, representatives from the West Street Traders, Waitrose and Dorking Museum.

Councillor Margaret Cooksey, MVDC’s Cabinet Member for Planning, said: “I am ecstatic to have reached a point where this fabulous idea, first discussed six years ago now, has now become a reality. The newly installed elaborate design will be a hot topic of discussion for residents and those visitors to Dorking who walk or drive past it on West Street, the historic heart of the town. Visually, it is unlike anything else in Dorking, and it could well become a new focal point for the town.

“It is not only a beautiful depiction of sea creatures and a ship that makes the artwork so special, but the design is also a visual representation of a momentous time in history for one Dorking resident, William Mullins. The artwork depicts William Mullins and his family’s historic journey aboard the small and overcrowded ship, the Mayflower, to the New World in 1620. The 400^th anniversary of the first journey to America was last year and 2021 sees that same landmark reached, celebrating the very first ‘Thanksgiving’ which took place in 1621. William Mullins lived in West Street before boarding the Mayflower and his house, which is featured in the artwork too, still stands in the town to this day.

“I would particularly like to thank the Fire and Iron Gallery for their fantastic work to create the artwork. I do hope you enjoy the design and can also appreciate the historical reference behind it. The artwork is located in the passage leading to Waitrose, close to the Dorking Museum and William Mullins’s house.”