Monstrosities Mon Amour: The Great Wall of Kidderminster with Mike Parker

Kidnapped once more in an Austin Maxi, I find myself in the Land of Mid – Kidderminster, to be precise, admiring its largely unheralded William Mitchell artwork, the Great Wall.

Travel writer Mike Parker hails from Kidderminster, and has always loved this vast concrete mural along a retaining wall beside the town’s ring road. Created in 1973 by concrete wizard William Mitchell, the Great Wall of Kidderminster is a third of a kilometre long and features his trademark abstract geometeries and rugged, Aztec-inspired designs. These days it’s aged into an ancient-looking monument, overgrown in parts. But now, after decades of being derided and ignored, is the Great Wall of Kidderminster finally having its moment in the sun?

Mike’s minor monster is another Midlands icon, The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, written as nature notes in 1906 by Birmingham art teacher Edith Holden and not published until 1977, at which point it became an enormous publishing phenomenon. Would Edith have recognised the way she was portrayed, or the things the Diary would go on to inspire? And why is Mike so obsessed with such a contrasting work of art?

Mike Parker is a much-loved travel writer and historian. Author of books including Map Addict: A Tale of Obsession, Fudge & the Ordnance Survey, On the Red Hill: Where Four Lives Fell Into Place, All the Wide Border: Wales, England and the Places Between as well as the forthcoming Mid Land: A Journey into England’s Heart.Jan Morris said ‘What a true wanderer he is, and how wonderfully well-read.’ Find out more about his work athttps://mikeparker.uk/

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