Leith mural: People asked about the future of beloved mural between Great Junction Street and Ferry Road

For nearly 40 years the beloved mural has been a landmark in Leith

A Leith charity is asking the public to help decide the future of an iconic 40–year-old mural that has fallen into disrepair over the years.

The beloved mural titled ‘Into The Future With A Strong Community’ was unveiled in 1986 at the corner of Great Junction Street and Ferry Road. It depicts Leith’s political history and rich maritime heritage and has become popularly known as the Leith History Mural.

Titled Picturing Leith, the project aims to restore and adapt the south-facing mural that has shown signs of wear and tear over the years – subjected to decades of Scotland’s harsh weather, air pollution and sunlight causing the colours to fade.

Unveiled in the 1980s, the landmark mural at the corner of Great Junction Street and Ferry Road depicts Leith’s rich history. Picture: LeithLate

Now, Multi-arts charity, LeithLate will host a public consultation at Leith Theatre this month to gain an insight into how the people of Leith would like to see the mural saved, with the mural’s creators, Tim Chalk and Paul Grime, viewing the project as an opportunity to adapt the mural to reflect Leith’s contemporary culture.

Co-producer for Picturing Leith, Cameron Foster said: “What we could see is a kind of collaboration through time with new memories replacing old ones as the older ones fade both physically and metaphorically. It could be, not simply very poetic, but unlike any other mural I’ve heard of globally.”

The community event, taking place at Thomas Morton Hall in Leith Theatre on January 28 between 10.30am and 1pm, comes after a series of public consultations hosted by LeithLate last year to gather community feedback and consider ideas about the future of the mural. The meeting this month will discuss the findings and start a community dialogue on how the popular artwork should be restored.

As well as providing an opportunity to develop community feedback further, the town hall meeting will show a short film, host a panel discussion and facilitate creative community breakout sessions to explore the mural’s past, present and future. Members of the public are invited to share their opinions and stories about the mural and join the conversation in deciding on its renovation.

In 2020, the Leith History Mural was vividly brought back to life with the help of projection mapping. Picture: LeithLate

The Picturing Leith project is supported by community money from the £eith Chooses scheme and Museums Galleries Scotland’s Year of Stories initiative and is being led by long-term mural tour guide Cameron Foster and newly appointed Picturing Leith producer Jessie Lindsay.

The 37-year-old mural that portrays notable historic events including the Dockyard Strikes and the Leith Hospital Gala was vividly brought back to life in 2020 with the help of projection mapping, raising questions about its long-term future. In October 2020, original artist Tim Chalk indicated that he would be against the mural being restored exactly as it was and would instead prefer a new generation of artists to help bring the mural into the 21st century.

Project leader, Cameron Foster said Mr Chalk’s comments ‘opened up a whole new world of possibilities’ regarding the future of the art work and added ‘we hope to be able to listen to as many people as possible and get a real sense of what people want for this iconic work.’