‘We wanted something that reflected the alternative culture of Britain,’ says Heather, one of the activists behind the Union Jill.

This video tells the story of the creation of the flag, first stitched together on a houseshare floor, that came to symbolise climate protest in 1990s Britain. Initially flown during protests against the Twyford Down M3 motorway extension, it became a familiar sight at subsequent road protests at Newbury Down and Claremont Road.

As fellow activist Helen B describes, the Union Jill, and the protests it symbolised, came from a want to preserve the country, driven by a frustration at a ‘bleaker and bleaker’ Britain. ‘I’m from an immigrant family, but I still love this country. But it needs to be bright and it needs to be cheerful and it needs to be something we’ve made ourselves, even if it’s out of scraps sewn together’.

With archive footage of the protests at Newbury Bypass by Paul O’Connor and Claremont Road by Mayyasa Al-Malazi, as well as photos and press cuttings supplied by Heather, this video looks at the direct action that took place beneath the flag as the activists did all they could to stall these road construction projects.

The Union Jill is being flown from the roof of our Royal Festival Hall until 3 September as part of Planet Summer, our series of talks, art and events responding to the climate emergency.

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