Visitors to Manchester can’t fail to miss the abundance of street art around the city centre. On a recent visit, I decided to go in search of some of this street art. At first, I used an app, thinking it might lead me to some interesting murals, but I soon gave up after a couple of issues. The first location the app led me to had been knocked down and was now under development, and the second location’s mural had been painted over. So, I closed the app and decided to explore an area where I knew there was plenty of street art – the Northern Quarter.
In the northeastern corner of Manchester’s High Street and Thomas Street junction is this I Came By Train sustainable travel mural. I had actually travelled to Manchester by train, but much of the country’s train travel is currently being disrupted by strikes and it’s rarely the cheapest way to travel. This mural has changed over the years. Just a couple of years ago it was being used for a FIFA 21 PS5 game advertisement and in 2019 it was advertising White Claw Hard Seltzer.
Cain & Grain is a bar on Thomas Street. The mural takes up the whole front of the building. It certainly stands out in the street.
This mural by Wrdsmith can be found at the junction of Thomas Street and Tib Street. Wrdsmith is an LA-based street artist and the typewriter seems to be a bit of a signature of his as he has used it in many pieces of his work. I came across another mural of his at Carpenters Lane while wandering the streets of Manchester.
Looking around the corner from the Wrdsmith mural at the junction of Thomas Street and Tib Street, I had been expecting to find a mural of Sir Captain Tom Moore. Instead, I discovered it had been replaced with a mural by artist Katie Scott who specialises in colourful portraits and nature paintings.
I found this “inspirational quote” on Hare Street which runs between Edge Street and Copperas Street. It’s by Mikesian Studio, a design and art duo based in Manchester. Apparently, they were told they could do absolutely anything typographic that they wanted to, as long as it wasn’t “some sort of vacuous inspirational bollocks on a vibey background”. I think they did a great job!
This mural by Akse P19 is on Copperas Street. Akse P19 is a Manchester-based street artist who aspires to bring inspiration to the local community through the subjects they paint. I believe the mural is of Gi-Hun, a character in the South Korean Netflix drama, Squid Game. Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted the Manchester worker bee symbol within the mural.
Just around the corner, next to Sweet Mandarin (the best Chinese restaurant & takeaway!), is another mural by Akse P19. The mural is of Debra Williams, an Operating Department Practitioner. It’s a homage to the hard work of all the medical staff during the coronavirus pandemic.
I found this mural at the junction of Oak Street and Carpenters Lane. It’s by Liverpool-based, Brazilian street artist Liam Bononi. The fracturing seems quite common in his artwork.
Looking over a wall from Carpenters Lane, I spotted these two murals looming over a car park. The mural on the left is by Argeninian-born urban artist Hyuro who sadly died in 2020. It’s of a blindfolded child holding an AK47 behind his back. The mural on the right is by street artist Tankpetrol and depicts A Clockwork Orange author Anthony Burgess. The quote reads “We can destroy what we have written, but we can not unwrite it.”
The cat & mouse mural is also on Carpenters Lane. Sadly, I couldn’t find out much about the artist, but this is one of my favourite murals I found whilst in Manchester.
The London buses mural was on the side of The Wheatsheaf pub on Oak Street. Again, I don’t know much about this one.
A short walk away, on Stevenson Square, is this mural by GoodGood Graffiti. It’s part of a project by So Lets Talk, a not-for-profit platform raising awareness around mental, physical and financial health within the hospitality industry.
Just off Stevenson Square, on Little Lever Street, is another Akse P19 mural called “Enigma”. The mural depicts Mancunian Ste Wing and is part of the “50 Windows of Creativity” art trail.
The “Make Do Mend” mural by Nomad Clan on Port Street reflects the area’s rag trade.
On the tram back to my hotel, I spotted another mural. It depicts Manchester’s famous worker bee along with the “We Stand Together” slogan brought to Manchester in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017. The mural can be found on the corner of West Mosley Street and Booth Street (near St Peter’s Square).
There are many more murals around Manchester. I’ll be sure to look for more of them on my next visit to Manchester.
…Nikki, you found a FABULOUS collection of murals. Thanks for taking me along on the tour!
Thanks for coming along!
Wow, what a great series of wonderful murals. I went to Wrdsmith’s website and looked at his work, it’s amazing. Thanks for sharing this great post, I enjoyed seeing it.
These are so cool! I love street art. I visited Manchester on a very brief afternoon trip but missed most of these. The Wrdsmith ones are my favourite!
Very cool. I love public art. Downtown LA has precious little of it – we are the land of horrid commercial billboards.
I love to see murals and street art and there are some beautiful examples here! We have a small amount in my town (a couple of murals on buildings and some crosswalk painting on the town square). I was just reading an article in my paper today about the murals in Hot Springs, AR. I saw a few when we were there recently.
Funny to see the pub called The Wheatsheaf. When I was in school, I gave that name to a restaurant I designed.
The Wheatsheaf is a common name for pubs in the UK. We used to have one in town until it was turned into an Indian restaurant.
Nikki – so many stunning, inspiring murals. I like the “cheekiness” of the Inspirational Quote mural!!! My other favorites are the portraits such as the health professional and the fracturing woman.
Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!
This street art is Amazing!! I especially liked the nurse and the cat and mouse. But they are all beautiful.
Hi Nikki,
I like street art when it is well executed, however as we live quite rurally, we don’t find much around our way, unless we go into Bristol, which is very rarely, as we are not city people these days. The cities closest to us, Bath and Salisbury, are not the kind of places which actively encourage street art, despite the fact it can brighten those many disused and derelict buildings which seem to be a fact of life these days, even in the ‘nicest’ of places!
I obviously like the “wrdsmith” murals, but I do tend to prefer portraiture generally, although “Make Do Mend” is strangely alluring and a great use of the available space.
Thanks for sharing and I wish you and yours festive greetings for Christmas and the New Year! 🙂
We had a mural painted on a wall in town at the beginning of this year’s World Cup. It’s of a Wales football player, although I’m unsure why our town was chosen for it as I’m not aware of the player having any link to the town.
Merry Christmas and all the best for the new year!
So interesting to see all the murals – lots of talent on show there. Thank you for sharing your visit.
Best wishes
Ellie
What a great collection. I should imagine it changes fairly often so what you see on one visit may be completely different from that which you see on another.
WOW!
I have a dear friend in Manchester, whom I hope to visit when in the UK again.
Looking for murals will be on our to-do list.
Thank you for sharing these, and I’ve got to say, the cat and mouse one is my favourite.
I didn’t see all of these and I go to Manchester quite often. These look beautiful, it must have been a treat to walk around and discover them.
It was a treat. The artists are so talented.
Wow! You found some incredible street art. The inspirational quote one made me laugh! x
These are all fabulous! The Wrdsmith ones in particular I love — how clever that he makes the typewriter his signature. The “inspirational quote” one had me laughing.
I checked out the menu for the Cain and Grain pub. I was amused by how “American” all the offerings were, right down to the St. Louis-style ribs. I’ve read that Manchester has some of the best chip shops in England, so I doubt I’d be interested in Cain and Grain. 🙂
A wonderful selection. I’ve seen several posts about street art in Manchester recently – different every time! It changes regularly or there is an awful lot of it – or both!
One day, I’ll make it to Manchester!
Anyway, what a wonderful selection of murals. We have lots of them in Antwerp too, and in fact, I’ve got a friend who’s currently writing a book about graffiti and murals in Belgium, as he’s considered to be quite the expert. Not sure if he’s been to Manchester, but wouldn’t be surprised. xxx
I bet that book would be an interesting read.
Manchester is well worth a visit. I have another two Manchester based posts coming soon.
Wow, you’ve come across so many beautiful murals in your search! I love that each one has a story behind it. Art is so inspiring and I love that we can all interpret them in our own way. I love the cat and mouse one! Thank you for sharing Nikki!
What a great collection of murals. Each artist has a clearly unique style.
Wishing you a most merry and joy-filled Christmas celebration.
Merry Christmas!
Nikki, A wonderful selection of murals. I host a weekly Weekend Coffee Share link-up that includes Photographing Public Art Challenge (PPAC), Friday to Sunday, Canada Eastern Time. I hope you consider joining in on the fun. I’m on a blogging break and will resume hosting on January 6th, 2023. I hope to see you then. Happy holidays!
Thank you for sharing these specatuclar murals, Nikki. I enjoy the many murals in Bristol, yet the themes and styles there are very different
I love your take on these murals, most of which I’ve found over the last couple of years and others just recently. The ‘I came by train’ one is very recent, I was only there a week ago and that wall was part of an advert for H & M. There’s a similar one with a polar bear and the same slogan near Piccadilly Gardens – the wording doesn’t make sense to me though, the word ‘of’ is missing.
It’s a good idea to explore the NQ without referring to any apps or maps as many of the murals change so often that apps are very quickly out of date and therefore useless.
I’m surprised you didn’t see the long winter one by Hammo right opposite Cain and Grain, it was only done just over a week ago. My next street art post will be towards the end of this month, possibly the 28th, so I hope you’ll take a look.
I was in Manchester back in November, but I’m still catching up with the blog posts from my trip. I’m looking forward to seeing your next street art post.
What a wonderful mix of murals in Manchester and such incredibly talented artists.
I think my favourite is the cat and mouse. Thank you for taking such great pictures and sharing them.
Thanks for coming along on the journey!
Astounding the number of murals around our city centres now, and these are fine examples, Nikki. As you say, who needs an App- just use your eyes! Thanks for some very interesting posts over the year. Sorry I don’t arrive here very often. Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year.
These all look so great. I like the bee one. Thank you for sharing. I hope you have a good Christmas and New Year.
Lauren.
You found some fabulous mural artwork. Perhaps you can create a trail walk for others to enjoy 🙂
Fascinating post, thank you so much for taking the time to share all your photos and a little about the artists too. It is a long time since I was in Manchester but I would love to find some of these next time I am there.
Wonderful street art and the saying by Wrdsmith mural on Carpenters Lane is especially meaningful.
Reminds me a bit of Wynwood Walls in Miami, Florida. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m a little late to the party, but this was a lovely article! One thing I’ll point out though – the gun in Hyuro’s piece more resembles the L1A1 than an AK47. The L1A1 was the British variant of the FN FAL assault rifle used by NATO, and was used in a wide range of conflicts, many of which were associated with the decline of British colonialism. one of the most notable conflicts where the L1A1 saw heavy use was the Falklands War. For an Argentinian artist to choose the L1A1 alongside a blindfolded child may be a reflection on how a generation of young Argentinian men were essentially riled up and sent to their deaths by their government in a last ditch attempt to draw Nationalist support.