Striking new street artworks celebrate fishing heritage

BRIDLINGTON

Two colourful, eye-catching murals have been painted on the side of buildings in Bridlington by artist Sam Porter as part of a regeneration project in the town.

Gansey Girl shows a woman knitting a traditional fisherman’s sweater while waiting for her loved one to come back from the sea. The depiction – on the side of a shop in High Street, Old Town – appears alongside images of nearby Priory Church, a jackdaw and a swallow.

A second artwork showing a traditional coble caught in the Great Gale – an infamous tragedy of 1871 in which 70 seamen and 30 boats were lost – is painted on the side of a building in Prince Street, on the harbour. Gannets, a puffin and a lobster also feature in the mural.

Harrogate-based artist Sam Porter, of Mural Minded, designed and painted the artworks, created from ideas put forward by local residents. Inspiration also came from the Gansey Girl sculpture by Stephen Carvill, which stands in Bridlington Harbour.

Sam Porter, who is currently making the finishing touches to the Gansey Girl artwork, said: “The reaction has been massively positive. The amount of nice comments and people coming to look at the murals while I’ve been painting them has been amazing.

“And I’ve seen so many posts about them on social media, almost daily.” 

Both artworks have taken around four weeks to paint, with pupils from local primary schools visiting to meet the artist. 

The regeneration project has also seen benches installed along Harbour Road to encourage people sit and soak up the unique atmosphere of the historic fishing portl.

Commissioned by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the artworks have been funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund as part of the £125,000 regeneration project. 

Councillor Anne Handley, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “These stunning murals are a real celebration of Bridlington’s history, heritage and local stories. They have already attracted a lot of attention for the town, which is fantastic.” 

The council says the murals were already generating significant interest even before their completion, gaining widespread social media attention and attracting visitors to the town.

This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For further information on this story and for more reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.50 here. 

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