Manchester mural celebrates city’s history

Manchester legend, Clint Boon, unveiled a lasting piece of nostalgic artwork at the Printworks this week, celebrating the city’s rich and vibrant history.

Created by renowned artist, Justin Eagleton, the mural, which stands at 4.8m wide by 2.4m high, will take pride of place on Dantzic Street, and looks back at Manchester’s diverse heritage, celebrating the people and places that make the city what it is.

The artwork includes famous landmarks including Belle Vue Circus, Beetham Tower, the Royal Exchange and the cotton mills that famously dot the city’s landscape. Music heroes and comedians such as The Stone Roses, Oasis, Victoria Wood and Steve Coogan are also featured.

There is a nod to some of the most influential Mancunians such as Emmeline Pankhurst, Professor Brian Cox and Alan Turing, referencing the city’s rich political and scientific heritage. But the mural  wouldn’t be complete without including the city’s famous symbol, the Manchester bee.

Printworks has also partnered with Forever Manchester, the only charity that raises money to fund and support community activity across Greater Manchester; working with local people in communities to inspire and encourage projects that they want to see, to make their neighbourhoods happier and safer places to be. All of the money raised for Forever Manchester is used to fund and support over 1,000 community projects in Greater Manchester each year.

Fred Booth, Printworks’ Centre Director, said “Printworks has a long-standing heritage across Greater Manchester, so what better way to celebrate this than with a mural of memories, showcasing the people and places that have carved their own place in our city’s history.

“We want the people of Manchester to visit our fantastic mural and share in the memories of our great city!”

Justin Eagleton explained, “Printworks is an iconic venue in the heart of the city and the perfect place to feature a mural celebrating all things Manchester. This city means so much to so many and I hope everyone will be able to relate to an image, or see something that makes them smile within the mural.”

Nick Massey, Chief Executive at Forever Manchester explained, “Forever Manchester is delighted to be the chosen charity for the launch of this fantastic mural which celebrates this city’s heritage, history and its people.

“We’re thrilled that our Manchester super hero, Captain Manchester is included in the mural.  Every penny raised from the sale of artwork of the mural will go directly to supporting grassroot community projects across Greater Manchester reflecting the rich social backbone of local community activity in and around this great city.”

Renowned photographers, Paul Husband, Ian Tilton, Paul Wolfgang Webster and Jill Furmanovsky allowed their iconic images to be used on the mural.

The mural will be on display permanently at the Printworks on Dantzic Street from 21st October 2019. Prints of the mural are available to buy, exclusively at https://forevermanchester.com/forever-manchester-shop/ with a select number of prints signed by artist, Justin Eagleton available.