THE Commission considering how to celebrate the Chartists thought long and hard and came up with some interesting ideas. However, I am sure I won’t be the only person disappointed that they dismissed reproducing the much loved mural that was so irreverently destroyed. My suggestion was a full scale reproduction of the original mural, in modern waterproof materials, on the bland concrete wall of the British Home Stores, close to the Westgate scene of the tragic end to the march. However, smaller, cheaper, perhaps even photographic versions, could have been considered.
The Commission seems to have dismissed the idea that the public revered not just the Chartists, their Charter, their march and their sacrifice; they also had a great affection for the mural, which brilliantly caught the spirit of Chartism.

David Hando,
Pwll Pen Court,
Hartridge,
Newport