The best public art begins by listening to the stories of a place. For Walton Court Gardens, Stuart Melrose discovered not one story, but many.
The site was once home to the iconic Birds Eye headquarters, completed in 1963 and celebrated for its modernist architecture, crisp geometric forms and distinctive silver-blue colour palette. Its internal courtyards famously housed live penguins, flamingos and even an alligator: an extraordinary chapter in British corporate history.
Close by, Flight Sergeant Charles Sydney lost his life when his Spitfire was shot down during the Battle of Britain on 27 September 1940. Rather than choosing between these very different histories, Stuart set out to honour both within a single sculpture.
A Sculpture That Changes Before Your Eyes
The concept began with a simple question: could one sculpture tell two completely different stories depending on where the viewer stood?
Birds, flight and movement appeared throughout the site’s history: penguins in the Birds Eye courtyard, a Spitfire in the skies above Walton-on-Thames, and public artworks celebrating birds and nature at the original headquarters.
Approached from one direction, the sculpture reveals the unmistakable silhouette of a Spitfire in flight: a tribute to Flight Sergeant Charles Sydney and all those who served during the Battle of Britain. As visitors continue towards the entrance, the aircraft transforms into the elegant outline of a penguin, celebrating the charming and unexpected legacy of Birds Eye.
For a brief moment, both forms coexist before the viewer’s perception naturally shifts between them. The work invites people to discover its story through movement, curiosity and a second look.
Designed for Its Place
The original Birds Eye headquarters was admired for its clean modernist geometry, while the new Walton Court Gardens development continues that architectural language in a contemporary way. These strong, faceted forms informed the sculpture’s construction, allowing it to acknowledge both the building that once stood on the site and the community that now calls it home.
Research also revealed that the original headquarters embraced public art within its landscaped courtyards, reinforcing the site’s longstanding relationship with creativity and design. Rather than simply illustrating history, Welcome Home becomes part of its continuing story.
The result connects architecture, remembrance, local heritage and imagination within one contemporary public artwork.
Precision Through Technology
Although the finished sculpture appears light and effortless, its manufacture required considerable engineering precision. The artwork was fabricated from laser-cut stainless steel, robotically welded into its final form and finished with a refined glass-blasted surface that catches changing light throughout the day.
Every individual facet was carefully positioned so that the transformation between Spitfire and penguin remained fluid and convincing from the intended viewing points. Welcome Home is therefore both an artistic composition and an exercise in precision engineering and visual perception.
Commissioned by Crest Nicholson and A2Dominion, with Elmbridge Borough Council facilitating the public art programme, the sculpture now stands at the heart of Walton Court Gardens, honouring its past while welcoming a new community to its future.
