A pub landlord has been told to take down a giant mural of a bull painted on the side of his 400-year-old inn. Martin Peel commissioned a local artist to paint the 8ft artwork on the side of The Bull’s Head in the village of Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire in April. However, last week he received a letter from Stratford District Council saying that because the building is listed, the mural breaches planning rules.
He has four weeks to paint over the Hereford bull or face legal action, the letter stated. Martin said he hadn’t realised he was breaking any rules, but plans to fight to keep the painting, which he added has been a hit with visitors. The dad-of-two, who has run the 16th century pub with his partner Omm for three years, said: ‘It’s a beautiful pub and the painting just communicates what we do.
‘It was meant to be eye-catching and a bit of fun while respecting the heritage of the building.’ He said many people had assumed the pub was ‘a big house’ so they wanted something that let people know it’s not a residential property. But he added: ‘We feel it’s a mural that works in line with the era of the heritage.
We take the heritage very seriously. ‘We’ve put a new bar and period fireplace and chimney in a room that’s been ignored which was all done at our own personal cost. ‘That has been done through planning but we just didn’t realise this was a crime.
‘The council just said “it’s not acceptable”’. Before the mural, the couple had.
