Conservation work on war mural

Conservation work is to begin on the famous Peter McIntyre mural in the Hall of Memories at the Hastings War Memorial Library.

Paula Murdoch, district library manager says, “The painted mural honours all branches of the armed forces on sea, land and air and last had conservation work done in 1993 when the building was extended. A professional conservator has been commissioned to undertake the long overdue repair work”.

“The Hall of Memories and Civic Square entrance to the library will be closed while the conservation work is being done,” Paula Murdoch says.

“The mural is generally in a stable condition, although preliminary investigations have shown that some restoration work is required since the last treatment.” 

The conservation treatment will include cleaning of the overall paint surface along with retouching and repairs to areas where colour loss has occurred.

The mural is located in the libraries Hall of Memories and was designed by New Zealand War Artist Peter McIntyre, when the resolution to build a war memorial library on Civic Square was reached in 1952.

Peter McIntyre‘s mural has long been a feature of the Hall of Memories and is still revered as a tribute to the New Zealand Armed Services. 

The Hastings War Memorial Library was officially opened on October 18th, 1959.