Painted roof slates to be laid as part of repairs

People have been asked to get their creative juices flowing so they can leave their mark on a £7m roof repair on a public building.

Kettering Library and Art Gallery, known as Cornerstone, was damaged during heavy rain in the Northamptonshire town in 2023.

Work started on the massive job to fix the Grade II listed building in March with the first Collyweston slate tiles, from the county, laid in October.

Organisers of Saturday's sold-out Tag-A-Tile event said 121 tiles will be painted and then laid facing down on the roof so they can become part of the town's "heritage".

Work currently being carried out on the building was being done to protect the building "for generations to come", organisers from The Museum and Gallery Team at Cornerstone said.

The 121 figure has been chosen to represent the number of years since the library opened.

They will be painted at the Parish Hall on Kettering's Market Place from 10:00 to 15:00 GMT, as part of the town's Christmas Market.

They can be decorated in anyway.

"Maybe you just want to write your name - 'Alf was 'ere' or 'The East family 2025'?," Cornerstone suggested.

"Your finished tile will become part of the Library's roof and our town's heritage."

Each tile, roughly the size of a postcard, will be numbered and the designers name recorded.

"They will be laid facing down, but even though your artwork will be hidden from view, you will be told which tile is yours so that when the roof works are completed, you can point out your tile to friends and family," it added.

Photos of each tile will then form a future exhibition in Alfred East Gallery.

The gallery and museum have been closed since the damage happened and the library has been relocated to the new wing.

It is hoped the work will be finished by August 2026.

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