Spennymoor Murals

Spennymoor has several claims to fame. Half of the Teletubbies 'writers' came from here (Ann Wood born 1937). It is the home of the Durham Mining Museum. It is where 'pit painter' Norman Cornish (1919 to 2014) lived and painted. And now it is home to 17 street murals.

Let's look at some amazing street art and how it came to be. There is certainly a case of 'There is more to it than meets the eye' with plenty of cultural references.

The Spennymoor Mural Festival was set up by Lewis Hobson AKA Durham Spray Paints in 2023. He is a local artist and has exceptional depictions of heritage in the area. Have a look at the collections section on the Fabulous North website for the likes of Hartlepool Headland, Wheatley Hill Canary and others

There is a connection here that one of Mr. Hobson's first creations was a portrait of artist Norman Cornish who came from Spennymoor.

Here is our artist with his portrait of Norman Cornish, taken from a self-portrait that Norman Cornish painted. Unfortunately, the painting and wall are no longer there. (Photograph from Durham Spray Paints website.)

Lewis came up with the mural festival idea as he knows the area well and it was an opportunity to show that wall art is not just illegal graffiti. There was a massive amount of work setting up the Spennymoor Mural Festival. He contacted shops, offices, companies, and residents in the area to ask for their support and or permission to paint on their walls. There was support from amongst others CYAN-cic, Defty's Hardware Store, Montana spray cans, and lottery.

There were free workshops where County Durham creatives could network, learn new skills, and find their place in the mural festival. Essentially It was open to allcomers, even those who had never used spray paints before. Ideas were shared and some were nods to northern social history.

The festival created quite a buzz and innovation filled the walls. Here are some of the works

The Blue Tit is by Durham Spray Paints. Lewis was supposed to be overseeing the festival but one of the artists dropped out at very short notice so Mr Hobson put on his creative hat and with the colour of the spray paints available created this exquisite mural. You will see and hear Blue Tits heralding spring as they flit around in town and country gardens. In Celtic culture, they are bringers of joy, happiness, hope, and good fortune. This should bring a smile to your face when visiting.

Jordan Stead AKA Twentysixstudio/twentysickzstudio is the amazing artist behind the mural Work Rest Pray in Sherburn Village. This Old Spennymoor High Street scene is taken from a 1940/50s photograph and Jordan has recreated it on the wall.

In the early stages there were lots of lettering/ symbols over the wall Jordan explains

"The lettering in the early stages is what we would call a doodle grid/letter grid. It is essentially a reference system for scaling up artwork onto large surfaces, much like a traditional grid in hand drawing. The wall is marked up and then a digital image overlayed on a mobile or tablet. This guide is then followed to give greater accuracy for the proportions and placement of the elements within the artwork. We tend to use doodles rather than a square grid as it's a little easier to keep track of where you are within it, when working up close."

Photograph from Spennymoor Mural Festival Facebook page.

Moorland at the Spenning is in the mode of Norman Cornish with wit to boot. County Durham's artist Norman Cornish (1919 to 2014) lived and painted here. his work exemplifies the working people of the coal mining heritage, and he was affectionally known as the Pit Painter.

Lewis gave the idea to use a poem by Ian Horn to a duo of artists known collectively as @Chasingheights. Alex Thompson AKA @Chumschalks and Alastair Flindall AKA @Neckofthewoods.

Ian Horn comes from the Peterlee area and is known as the Footie Poet. In this instance, though, Ian has given us a lesson in the town's name and coined exactly what we do when marvelling at artwork - 'Drinking in the brushstrokes.' Spenning is an old English expression for fenced enclosure, and initially, the area was moorland, so the name Spennymoor means moorland enclosed.

I think the snake could be a Red Spitting Cobra.. What's not to like? They are one of the fastest snakes across the land, and yes, they do what it says, their spit is venomous, though rarely deadly. They are not native to Spennymoor and are more suited to East Africa. Just call out for Rikki Tikki Tavi if you need saving! The artist is R`AS

There were a few first-time mural painters and you wouldn't have guessed it. R`AS (as above and below), @mrd89_ ( Photo from the Spennymoor Mural Festival Facebook page) and @definatelyaeron.

R`AS who created the snake also created the black and white mural. It reminds me of George Orwell's book 'Keep the Aspidistra Flying'. Orwell's book was so titled as to mock the middle classes who particularly liked to grow this pot plant as it needed little attention and light.

You may reconise the 'Honey I Strunk the Kids' mural. It is by @mrd89_ who had been practising at home in the garden after a hiatus of 10 years doing art.

@definatelyaeron has created a vivid and busy mural with some amusing references.

Whippet is a delightful piece. It shows the elegance of the breed that originated in the North during the Industrial Revolution. The working class gent interbred Greyhounds and terriers to develop a smaller hunting dog that could be used for racing and live in the smaller properties. They are gentle, affectionate dogs and make excellent companions. Don't let them off the lead though, as you won't catch them until you reach Bishop Auckland!

A colourful mural of a young girl flying away with paper birds is a celebration of the Children's TV producer/ Teletubbies fame Anne Wood (Born 1937). 'Imagination can lift you up' by @NocciolaTheDrawer who has travelled far and wide creating art. She also mentored @TheLiveSketcher who when not creating a mural was sketching the artists at work. They also created Warm Welcome (Photo from Spennymoor Mural Festival page).

Glenn Malpass created the heads and this is his style. Some say it reminds them of New Zealand Maoris.

The Curious Pigeon has been captured by @Lapwingart. Could this be a racing pigeon? The sport was popular amongst miners. Notice this one is always looking at you..

On the side of a two-storey house, there is a depiction of someone writing in a notebook. The artist Voyder is international and his work is much revered. The pose to me is reflective where the writer pauses to consider what to write next. Maybe an analogy for 'What are you going to do next in life?'.

One of our Fabulous Northers, Nicola suggested 'that the fingernails looked dirty. The person may do a hard and manual job - possibly a miner or a farmer'.

You will see the Voyder sticker under the notebook, as the Aurum website explains:

"VOYDER is a multi-disciplinary artist, a self-taught painter with roots in graffiti and oil painting. His work currently explores the juxtaposition of classical painting with the most primitive form of leaving one's mark on the world."

Behind a club called Top Hat there is a vibrant mural by a group of ladies called Strike Collective who come from the north east and work to 'support positive engagement with the arts'. The piece depicts abstract dance moves as there is a dance studio in the building.

There is a mural that I couldn't see as it is on a roller shutter. It is called Comfort Blanket and is the work of Kinship. Team Solan aims to 'wrap a comfort blanket' around our Warriors and their families.

Photograph from The Spennymoor Festival Facebook page.

You may find some of these murals will change. My thanks to Lewis Hobson for his insights and for showing the murals to me and our Fabulous North winners Nicola and Lee who won this artwork by Lewis.

Spennymoor has one or two other treats why not check out the Fabulous North map and see what else takes your fancy.