Iconic Reading installation reinstated after years of repairs at Civic Offices

READING Borough Council has reinstated one of the town’s cultural touchstones four years after it was damaged by intense weather conditions.
The Cartwheeling Boys statue has been restored and given a new home as part of the façade of the new civic offices in Bridge Street.
The statue was damaged in 2022 when hurricane-force winds–which set a new record for gusts at the time–led the wall supporting the figures to topple.
Following considerable damage, the council elected to store the installation while repairs could be undertaken and a new home could be found for it.
The sculpture was a gift from Reading’s twin town of Düsseldorf, Germany, to mark the 30th anniversary of the link between the two.
It symbolises the tradition of children performing cartwheels as a sign of joy and celebration.
The sculpture was installed on a purpose-built wall in 1981 opposite the entrance to the then council offices, near The Hexagon theatre on San Francisco Libre Walk, with sculptor Brian Slack in attendance.
In 2015, the council offices just across from the statue closed and moved to Bridge Street.
In 2023, the Council received funding to redevelop the Bridge Street council offices, create a bespoke Central Library, and improve the customer reception area. Plans were set in motion to add a sculpture to the exterior of the building.
Modern techniques of computer modelling were combined with traditional sculpting to repair the sculpture, restoring it to near original state thanks to The Affable Design Company and AB Fine Art Foundry.
Construction partners Morgan Sindall created a strong frame for the sculpture on the exterior of the new reception area, and a crane lifted the figures into place and fixed them to its new home on Wednesday, February 25.
It will now stand proudly on the Civic Centre at the corner of Bridge Street and Fobney Street.
Councillor Liz Terry, Leader of the Council, said: “What better way to mark a project like redeveloping the Civic Centre and creating a new Central Library than incorporating a symbol of Reading’s history.
“The then Mayor of Reading, Councillor Phoebe Cusden, cultivated links with Germany in 1947, and they are still strong today.
“Thank you to everyone who has been involved in keeping the sculpture safe since that terrible storm, those who have worked innovatively to recreate the parts that could not be salvaged, and the team delivering the civic redevelopment.
“The Reading Düsseldorf Association has also funded the information board, which will tell people the history of the sculpture and how it came to be at the Civic Centre.
“I am so pleased to see the Cartwheeling Boys back up on display in Reading, where they deserve to be.”

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