Co-op Mosaic
The mural in 2008
ArtistAlan Boyson
Year1963 (1963)
MediumGlass
SubjectFishing trawlers
DesignationGrade II Listed building
LocationKingston upon Hull
Coordinates53°44′42″N 0°20′24″W / 53.744968°N 0.339885°W / 53.744968; -0.339885

The Co-op Mosaic is a mural in Kingston upon Hull, England, designed by the artist Alan Boyson.[1] 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.[2][3] The building was erected by 1963.[1][4] Depicting three stylised trawlers, it commemorates Hull's fishing fleet.[1]

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.[1][5][6] The panels are fixed to a 66 by 64 feet (20 by 20 m) curved concrete screen attached to the wall.[1][3]

The mural was manufactured to Boyson's design by Richards Tiles Ltd, subsequently part of Johnsons Tiles Ltd.[7] 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').[1] It also includes the letters "H U L L" in the ships' masts. These appear fortuitously and not through deliberate design.[8]

After the Co-operative Society vacated the building in 1969, it was occupied by BHS from 1970 to 2016.[6]

In May 2007 the mural was locally listed by Hull City Council, who described it as a "superb example of modern public art".[9] The council subsequently pledged to retain the mural when the site is developed.[10] In November 2016 a proposal by Hull Civic Society to give the mural statutory protection at a national level was rejected.[10] The society announced its intention to appeal against the decision.[10] The mural was placed on the National Heritage List for England on 21 November 2019 at Grade II.[3]

Fish mural

An additional mural by Boyson, inside the store on the fourth floor, was rediscovered during refurbishment in 2011.[5] Depicting a shoal of fish, it is more than 22 feet (6.7 m) long and is made from ceramic tiles, marble and stone.[5] Located outside the former Skyline Ballroom (later Romeo and Juliet's nightclub), it had been hidden behind a false wall.[5] The building's then owners, Manor Property Group, announced plans to feature it in their designs for the building's decor.[5][7] It was made as part of the same commission as the exterior mural.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Artist's work uncovered during refurbishment". Hull Daily Mail. 9 July 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  6. 1 2 Harwood, Elain (2021). Mid-Century Britain: Modern Architecture 1938–1963. Batsford Books. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-84994-686-5.
  7. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 "What will happen to Hull's BHS mural now?". Hull Daily Mail. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
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