Wycombe Swan undergoes exterior regeneration project

On August 15, eagle-eyed members of the public noticed the animal being painted on the entertainment venue, as part of a regeneration project.

After the first instalment neared completion one day later on August 16, pedestrians were spotted stopping in their tracks to take in the artwork, with many taking pictures (some in the form of selfies) and videos of the town’s latest creative visual.

The My Wycombe Facebook page said: “You may have spotted some of the exciting regeneration work happening in the heart of High Wycombe.

The painting is part of a re-gen project in the town (Image: NQ)

“The alleyway between the 3 Tuns pub and the Swan Theatre, now sometimes known as Red Lion Walk, is undergoing a transformation.

“The first part is hard to miss, with the head of the huge new Swan artwork, by artist Shauna Blanchfield, taking shape on the car park wall.

“This is just the beginning, with plans to install atmospheric Festoon lighting and enhance the walls, making it more inviting for everyone.

“This project, enabled by Future High Streets Funding, is a part of revitalising the centre of High Wycombe, with further improvements on the horizon.”

Many people have taken to the social media to praise the artwork.

Michael Price said: “This is good to see; even a small bit of positivity to improve the town.”

Darryl Slatter added: “Any town centre improvements, whether on private or public buildings, with funds from whatever source are always a great idea.

“The more attractive our High Street and facilities are, the more attractive High Wycombe is to shoppers and theatre goers and that can only be a good thing.”

A view from the alleyway (Image: NQ)

Steven Southall said: “Art makes such a difference to a town centre.

“I'd love it if Wycombe became the street art centre of this area.

"It's been shown to generate a lot of economic growth.”

Lorna Murray added: “At last, something beautiful new in the town.”

The High Wycombe Community Board  even shared their views as they said the paintwork looked ‘fabulous’ and that they couldn’t ‘wait to see it’.

The painting comes just over one year after several more regeneration plans were implemented for High Wycombe.

These ideas include painting a mural on the Paul’s Row underpass, reviewing the ongoing parking problems in the centre of the town, expanding the high street along with ideas to repurpose the now surplus House of Frasier building.