Two Rivers - General - Opening Of Two Rivers, Staines
Date: 01 Nov 1999
Meteorologist and TV weatherman Ian McCaskill joined representatives from Spelthorne Borough Council and from Two Rivers developer MEPC to unveil a special sculpture at the retail and leisure centre last week.
"Continuum" a seven-foot high bronze celebrates both the historical roots of Staines and the passage of time. At its heart are two figures - a Roman man in a toga and a modern-day woman. The sculpture is situated in Town Square at the 30,000 sq m (323,000 sq ft) development which is located in the heart of Staines.
The unveiling celebrates the completion of works to the Norris Road phase which provides the link from High Street through to Two Rivers where Boots, Curry's, Holiday Hypermarket, Carpetright, McDonalds, JJB Sports and Allied Carpets are already open and trading.
Top fashion retailer chain stores such as GAP, Burton Menswear, Evans and Dorothy Perkins have taken units along with Birthdays, First Sport, The Entertainer, Goldsmiths Jewellers, Athena, Electronics Boutique, Toni & Guy, and Sony Centre.
The unveiling precedes a week-long series of celebrations and events which commence on Saturday, 23 October, and run until Sunday 31 October. A £10,000 safe cracking competition, a balloon release, street theatre and live music form just part of the festivities.
Comments Roger Levesley, asset manager at MEPC:
"We are delighted to celebrate the completion of this phase of Two Rivers with this unveiling. When we develop a new shopping centre we always try to interweave cultural and community aspects into the design. We feel "Continuum" is particularly appropriate as we reach the new millennium."
Comments David Backhouse who created "Continuum":
"The sculpture is about time and place. It commemorates Staines' Roman origins through one of the figures and Staines' modern life through the other. These two figures form the gnomon of a midday marker (a simple sundial). Staines has always been a flourishing community and these two figures are greeting each other across time - hence the name "Continuum". I hope that the vitality of Staines is celebrated through the sculpture."
The sculpture is the second work art of to be incorporated into Two Rivers. Earlier this year a brick relief by London-based sculptor Richard Kindersley was carved in-situ on the face of the brickwork along Norris Road. The theme of the carving has played upon the Two Rivers name and shows two people meeting in boats.
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