Magical Leith mural set to come alive again for 10 nights only

Leith history mural on the corner of Ferry Road and North Junction Street

From 25 September to 4 October, Light-Up Leith History Mural will return, bringing the mural on the corner of North Junction Street to life. The 10 night, family friendly event will once again see unique projections illuminating the mural, which was painted by Tim Chalk and Paul Grimes in the 1980s.

To coincide with the return of Light-Up Leith History Mural, Cameron Foster, the originator of the popular Leith Mural Tours, will be conducting what may be his final ever in-person tours of Leith’s fascinating murals. The tours will run on the afternoon of Sunday 27 September and Sunday 4 October and are priced on a pay-what-you-can scale of £0-£4.

A spokesperson for LeithLate says, “We are delighted to announce that Cameron’s beautifully crafted and researched tours will be archived for posterity as LeithLate launches its permanent online resource LeithLate Virtual Tours on 28 August."

The online map showcases the many murals and art studios found across the Leith community. Users can click and explore the map, revealing entertaining and informative audio histories of the sites from Foster and many of the original artists, plus video tours of studios from the artists who currently create there.

Morvern Cunningham, LeithLate founder and trustee, says, “We are thrilled to be able to return this autumn with further events both online and in person in this unprecedented year for both ourselves and our communities. We are particularly delighted to be able to support 18 artists during lockdown thanks to the Virtual Tours, at a time when grassroots support of creatives is needed more than ever”.

Through LeithLate Virtual Tours and the collaboration with the Culture and Community Mapping Project, LeithLate have supported 18 creatives during lockdown by commissioning videos and audio from mural artists Tim Chalk, Kirsty Whiten, Rabiya Choudhry, Richie Cumming and Fraser Gray.

They have also commissioned work from studio artists Louise Smurthwaite and Jessica Kirkpatrick from St. Margaret’s House, Khadea Kuchenmeister from Rhubaba, Megan Chapman and Mairi Brown from Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Juli Bolaños-Durman from Custom Lane, Jacqueline Bell and James Donald from Coburg House, Sharon Quigley and Bridgid Collins from Albion Business Centre and Helen Miles and Judy Clark from Out Of The Blue Abbeymount Studios.

All events are part of Leith100, a year of events to mark the centenary of Leith’s amalgamation with the city of Edinburgh.

LeithLate Virtual Tours are now live at www.leithlate.co.uk/virtualtours

Light-Up Leith History Mural runs from Friday 25 September–Sunday 4 October, 8pm-10pm, free

Mural Tours (Pay what you can, £0-£4), Sunday 27 September & Sunday 4 October

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