Mosaicist Donna Reeves has created a striking sculpture for Stevenage Bus Interchange, commissioned by Stevenage Borough Council and Junction 7 Creatives. Inspired by traditional cairns — rock markers used to guide travellers — the piece reflects the countless journeys that intersect in Stevenage, with every hand-cut tessera representing a unique path. The base stone honours the town’s heritage, featuring Stevenage’s coat of arms and a Viking boat, while the middle stone is banded in eight colours symbolising the town’s different neighbourhoods. The top stone captures personal memories, incorporating keepsakes contributed by the local community. Taking 18 months to complete, the project involved local participation and also holds personal significance for Donna, whose grandfather moved his family to Stevenage from London to work at British Aerospace.

Here’s a quick look at some of the symbolism to give you a little more insight:

The Base Rock

- Stevenage History -

• Includes the Coat of Arms & Viking Boat

• Acorn & Leaf: represents the Oak Tree from the Coat of Arms and is repeated on all 3 stones for continuity

• 2 foxes: represents two fox twins and a connection to nature

• Barclay School: seen through the use of a clay tile of a tree

• Clay tiles featuring nature imprints made from real leaves found in Stevenage

• Flowers: represent nature, with pale blue & purple honouring the Suffragette movement in Stevenage

• Joy ride in a clay tile

• The clock tower: captured in a clay tile & surrounded by a Piet Mondrian-style tile, brought to life by primary school students in a creative workshop

• HM Vincent bike highlighted in a clay tile

• Stevenage Map: bicycles surrounding it to highlight the bike routes

• Viking boat: includes waves to represent the lakes & water

• Yellow bus: homage to the 50s

• Mallard Train

• Grey mosaic background: represents the local roundabouts & cycle paths, inspired by aerial photos captured by a local photographer & images shared by the Museum