Giant works of art unveiled in Altrincham town centre

The murals have been created by Manchester-based artist Caroline Dowsett, who is famous for creating colourful pieces from shapes and lines that are inspired by the everyday. 

Entitled ‘Bright Futures’, the designs cover over 60 square metres and have been installed on Bridge Street and Stamford New Road.  

The newly commissioned pieces of art aim to reflect the current vibrancy of Altrincham as well as the exciting future plans for the town centre.  The iconic designs hope to bring joy and vitality into the everyday lives of local residents, workers and visitors, say town hall bosses

A spokesperson from Trafford Council said: “This area of the town centre is currently undergoing a number of changes and improvements and as part of this a number of temporary hoardings have been installed on Stamford New Road and Bridge Street. 

“Rather than leave them blank we decided that they would make the perfect canvas to showcase local artists.

“Caroline is famous for her eye-catching designs and we are proud to have two original pieces in the town centre for everyone to enjoy when they’re out and about. 

“As well as bringing colour to the area, we hope the works will encourage more people to visit this part of town and support the many independent retail and hospitality businesses in the Grafton Centre.

“These stunning designs represent how far the town has come over the last few years but also the exciting times ahead.” 

Caroline Dowsett is a Manchester-based artist, painter and maker.  She has created a diverse body of works over the years in her recognisable style, from murals to textiles, stationary to packaging. Her past clients include; Uniqlo, Absolut Vodka, Little Greene Paint and Fred Aldous. 

She said: “The project was a real joy to work on, with the briefing of ‘Bright Futures’ I have tried to encapsulate the feeling of brightness and optimism through the palette and movement with these two pieces.

“I always enjoy seeing my work upon new surfaces, and having these two large scale vinyl pieces in Altrincham, to help convey the message of the project and also brighten peoples days, has been lovely.”

The Bright Futures arts project has also saw doodle maps illustrator Dave Draws, work with local primary schools to create a futuristic map of the town centre, which includes the children’s thoughts and hopes for the future of the place where they live.

Dave completed this work on Bridge Street in September 2023.