Mosaic artwork made by local schoolchildren has been unveiled at Thetford Guildhall.

Pupils from Redcastle Family School and Thetford Grammar School revealed their creation on Thursday, September 12 as part of Heritage Open Days in Thetford.

The artwork was unveiled by Mayor of Thetford, Chris Harvey, and town councillor Stuart Wright.

Mayor Harvey said: “It was wonderful to meet all of the children and talk to them about the project.

The mosaic artwork was unveiled by Mayor of Thetford, Chris Harvey, and Town Councillor Stuart Wright The mosaic artwork was unveiled by Mayor of Thetford, Chris Harvey, and Town Councillor Stuart Wright (Image: Thetford Town Council)

"It is so important that young people get an opportunity to learn about the history of our town.

"They were very interested in the mayoral history and asked lots of questions, some even suggesting that they would be future mayors themselves.”

The mosaic was created as part of the Guildhall Schools Project, which aims to educate children from local schools about the town’s history and celebrate Thetford’s rich heritage.

The mosaics depict figures from Thetford’s history such as, Thomas Paine completed by Thetford Grammar School The mosaics depict figures from Thetford’s history such as, Thomas Paine completed by Thetford Grammar School (Image: Thetford Town Council)

It was developed over a series of sessions with the Thetford Town Council Heritage and Education team, with assistance from local artist Mark Harper.

The mosaics depict figures from Thetford’s history such as; Thomas Paine, Allan Minns, convict couple Susannah Holmes and Henry Kable, and the royal Singh siblings Frederick, Catherine and Sophia.

Each section was then scanned in and printed as a larger vinyl artwork, then laid above the steps in the Guildhall corridor.

The mosaic was created as part of the Guildhall Schools Project, which aims to educate the children from local schools about the towns’ history The mosaic was created as part of the Guildhall Schools Project, which aims to educate the children from local schools about the towns’ history (Image: Thetford Town Council)

The young artists have their names listed alongside the artwork with some text explaining the project.

All participants were presented with a certificate by the mayor to thank them for their hard work. 

Katie Wright, Heritage and Events Deputy Manager at the Guildhall, said: "The young people who took part in this project will be immortalised in the Guildhall and hopefully become our ambassadors now and in the future."