Gable end artistry to brighten up town as part of the Padiham Townscape Heritage scheme funded by the National Lottery Fund

Artists Chris Butcher and Gavin Renshaw have been given free rein to use two gable walls on which to create colourful large-scale murals as part of a wider project to regenerate the town.

The Gable Art Project is an ongoing initiative being delivered as part of the Padiham Townscape Heritage (TH) scheme funded by the National Lottery Fund.

The project aims to bring the vibrant history and stories of Padiham to life, utilising two gables located on each of the gateways into the townscape heritage area.

Work to the wall next to Church Street car park is due to start this week, with the second artwork in Station Road getting underway early next month. Each are expected to take around a fortnight to complete.

Gable walls transformed into works of art

Coun. Mark Townsend, Burnley Council’s executive member for economy and growth, said: “I’m sure this project will capture the attention of local residents as well as those passing through Padiham. It’s going to be exciting to see these blank gable walls transformed into works of art that reflect the local community and the heritage of the town.”

Chris and Gavin have been researching the local area over the past few months, as well as collaborating with the Padiham Archives and staff at Gawthorpe Hall, drawing inspiration from the wealth of information and artefacts.

Chris will work on the Church Street site and his work will be inspired by the old trams that used to run through Padiham, along with incorporating designs from Gawthorpe Hall’s textile collection. Chris is the founder of Themuralartists.com, a mural arts business working across the UK and Europe.

Gavin will use inspiration from the Whit Walks and other traditional parades and events, both historic and current, for his work in Station Road. His previous works include murals at Battersea Power Station in London, and Lerwick in Shetland.

£1.4m. scheme

The Gable Arts Project is the brainchild of a partnership involving local residents and business owners, Burnley Council and Mid-Pennine Arts working together to celebrate the local heritage by building upon the town’s unique identity, and supporting growth and prosperity of independent businesses.

Burnley Council was successful in securing £1.4m. from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the townscape heritage project, a five-year programme to support the growth and development of the town centre through three key areas:

Repair and restoration works to buildings – this will involve grant aided works available to property owners within the TH boundary at a fixed percentage to cover the costs of external repair and restoration works to retain the historic nature of the area.

Public realm scheme – to undertake environmental improvements within the TH area, including de-cluttering of redundant street furniture/signage, introduction of traffic calming measures, new pavement surfaces and public art.

Wider activity programme – working with local partners, the Padiham TH will deliver a borough wide programme of community engagement events and heritage skills training activities to run throughout the lifetime of the project.