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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Co-op Mosaic
The Co-op Mosaic is a mural in Kingston upon Hull, England, designed by the artist Alan Boyson. Commissioned by the Hull and East Riding Co-operative Society for the exterior of the end of their new store, the mural is sited at the junction of Jameson Street and King Edward Street, now a mainly pedestrianised area created for the City of Culture 2017. The building was erected by 1963. Depicting three stylised trawlers, it commemorates Hull's fishing fleet.

The mural is made from 4,224 panels, each 1 foot (30 cm) square and each containing 225 tesserae – cubes of Italian glass – using 1,061,775 in all. The panels are fixed to a 66 by 64 feet (20 by 20 m) curved concrete screen attached to the wall.

The mural was manufactured to Boyson's design by Richards Tiles Ltd, subsequently part of Johnsons Tiles Ltd. It was constructed by A. Andrews & Sons Marbles and Tiles.

Included in the mural is the Latin text res per industriam prosperae ('prosperity through industry'). It also includes the letters "H U L L" in the ships' masts. These appear fortuitously and not through deliberate design.

After the Co-operative Society vacated the building in 1969, it was occupied by BHS from 1970 to 2016.

In May 2007 the mural was locally listed by Hull City Council, who described it as a "superb example of modern public art". The council subsequently pledged to retain the mural when the site is developed. In November 2016 a proposal by Hull Civic Society to give the mural statutory protection at a national level was rejected. The society announced its intention to appeal against the decision. The mural was placed on the National Heritage List for England on 21 November 2019 at Grade II.

Fish mural

An additional mural by Boyson, inside the store on the fourth floor, was rediscovered during refurbishment in 2011. Depicting a shoal of fish, it is more than 22 feet (6.7 m) long and is made from ceramic tiles, marble and stone. Located outside the former Skyline Ballroom (later Romeo and Juliet's nightclub), it had been hidden behind a false wall. The building's then owners, Manor Property Group, announced plans to feature it in their designs for the building's decor. It was made as part of the same commission as the exterior mural.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Alan Boyson, Three Ships, Italian glass mosaic, 1963". C20 Society Murals Campaign. 20th Century Society. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  2. ^ Public Realm Hull City Council. Retrieved 31 March 2021
  3. ^ Historic England. "Three Ships Mural (1468073)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  4. ^ "Records of Hull and East Riding Co-operative Society Ltd – Archives Hub". archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Artist's work uncovered during refurbishment". Hull Daily Mail. 9 July 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  6. ^ Harwood, Elain (2021). Mid-Century Britain: Modern Architecture 1938–1963. Batsford Books. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-84994-686-5.
  7. ^ "Manor Point Development Will Help Preserve Rare Mosaic". Manor Property Group. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  8. ^ Freeman, Anna. "Lost and Found". Sketches: Stories of Art and People. BBC. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Saved and still going strong after 55 years! The mosaic we installed for Hull Co-op". Andrews Tiles. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  10. ^ "What will happen to Hull's BHS mural now?". Hull Daily Mail. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
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