Murals
Public Art in intriguing locations across Staffordshire.
This project, developed in collaboration with artist Rob Fenton, showcases the power of creative partnerships between artists, planners, and local authorities. From early conversations to planning approvals, each mural reflects a shared commitment to place, heritage, and public engagement.
Key Information
A Shared Vision, Painted into the Urban Landscape
Our team worked closely with Rob to support the submission of multiple planning applications across Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. At every stage, we helped articulate the cultural and visual value of these artworks, particularly in areas where function has long outweighed beauty. Through carefully crafted heritage statements, we demonstrated how the murals could both complement and enhance the character of conservation areas.
Design Approach: Creating Focus in the Everyday
Rather than dominating the streetscape, each mural seeks to elevate its context, introducing colour, narrative, and identity into locations often overlooked. Rob’s work brings vibrancy to areas typically defined by infrastructure, reframing the city as a place of possibility and pride.
A particularly resonant moment came with the Belstaff mural, timed to coincide with the brand’s 100-year anniversary exhibition at Gladstone Pottery Museum. Located in Longton, the mural celebrates local heritage while anchoring the past in a present-day setting. It’s a striking example of how contemporary art can connect to historical identity in ways that are both meaningful and accessible.
Material Strategy: Contextual, Connected, Considered
Each piece has been carefully tailored to its surroundings, visually, materially, and conceptually. The two bamboo-themed murals, commissioned by Brilliant Bamboo CIC, form part of a wider initiative to develop “parklets” centred on sustainable bamboo use. These works not only animate their locations but signal a larger commitment to green, community-led design. Funded in part through the UK Government’s High Street Accelerator Greenspace Fund, the murals are a reminder that public art and public space can evolve together.
In Stoke town centre, another mural illustrates a ceramic plate threaded with golden lines that mirror the road network of the city—a poetic fusion of local craft and modern infrastructure. Nearby, along the Trent and Mersey Canal in the Vernon Road Conservation Area, a mural created in collaboration with Japanese artist Reiko Kaneko explores the intersections of cultural heritage and ecological materiality.
Outcome
These murals have generated widespread public interest and community pride, with strong engagement across social media and in-person interaction. More than decorative additions, they represent a strategic use of art in planning, bringing attention to underused spaces and strengthening the city’s connection to its heritage and environment.
This is what can happen when art, planning, and place are brought together with intention. The result is not just a mural, but a moment rooted in context, shaped by collaboration, and open to all.