Colours of Rugby celebrated in new community-inspired art project

A community-inspired art project at Rugby Station celebrates the power of colour.

Artwork known as the Rugby Colour Palette has been unveiled by artist Stacey Barnfield, who said the aim of the installation was to ‘celebrate local’ through design, typography and colour.

They celebrate several local figures and attractions, such as the original maker of the Rugby ball, the town's market, and Lady Dorothie Feilding, who was the first woman to be awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the First World War.

The art was made possible thanks to the backing of Avanti West Coast and the Heart of England Community Rail Partnership.

Colours were chosen from the ideas that arose from a public consultation, the aim of which was to get respondents to celebrate their hometown.

At its heart were a number of school and community workshops delivered by Ruby Road, a Warwickshire based storytelling collective, and its creative producer Jo Chalkblack.

Working with the project partners, Stacey brought to life the many ideas, creating three colour palettes with the themes History and Heritage, Creativity and Culture, and Industry and Innovation.

Stacey said: “I’ve learnt so much about Rugby, a town steeped in history and full of character.

"The colours hopefully tell just some of the story and I’d encourage anyone who has yet to visit, to consider jumping on the train and enjoying some time here.”

To help launch the Rugby Colour Palette, Rugby MayorMaggie O'Rourke was joined by school children from Riverside Academy and Rugby Free Primary at the station who enjoyed an immersive art workshop led by the Community Rail Partnership.

The Colour Palette Company was founded by Birmingham designer and writer Stacey Barnfield, whose first colour palette for his home city lit up social media when it was shared in January 2021.

The colours include:

Market Apple - Rugby was established as a Market Town in 1255 and still has weekly markets where you can find an array locally produced goods, fresh fruit, vegetables, artisan products, and clothing.

School Days Brown - Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes was published in 1857. The story is set in the 1830s at Rugby School, an English public school founded by a Tudor merchant and benefactor Lawrence Sheriff, who was notable for being grocer to Queen Elizabeth I. Hughes attended the school from 1834 to 1842 and the much of the novel is based on his experience.

Webb Ellis Bronze - According to legend, the sport of rugby was born in 1823 when Rugby schoolboy William Webb Ellis, whilst playing football took the ball in his arms and ran with it. In 1997 a bronze-cast statue of William Webb Ellis by sculptor Graham Ibbeson was installed outside the main Rugby School gates.

For more information, visit https://www.heartcommunityrail.org.uk/rugbycolourpalette