Painting New Brighton Back to Life: How Murals Sparked a Seaside Town’s Revival
- Rory
- Jun 13
- 54 min read
Updated: Jun 14
This is a long read, so buckle in.
-✍️ Author’s Note
New Brighton has already done the hard part. It found its voice. It picked up a brush. It turned decline into defiance, blank walls into bold stories. But here’s the truth: without proper backing, policy, and protection, all of this could still be lost!
This report sets out the case — plainly and in detail — for why New Brighton’s murals are more than paint on brick. They are heritage. They are community memory. They are economic stimulus. And they deserve to be treated accordingly.
TL;DR? Grassroots creativity saved a neglected corner of Wirral. Rockpoint Leisure and Dan Davies led a mural-led transformation.It sparked new businesses, brought people together, and made the town a destination again. But right now, there’s no legal framework protecting it. No strategic funding. No council-led expansion. And if we don’t act now, these murals – and everything they represent – could vanish.
That’s not dramatic. That’s how this stuff goes: slow fade, quiet loss, empty walls again. So we need to move. Not just to celebrate what’s been done, but to safeguard it. That means classing these murals as cultural assets. Embedding them in planning policy. Funding new works, maintaining what’s there, and letting the creative community shape what comes next.
New Brighton has shown what’s possible when creativity leads. Now it’s time for policymakers to catch up. Because stories left unprotected get overwritten. And we’ve already lost enough.
Rory Wilmer - New Brighton resident, cultural strategist, and someone who knows what it means when a town starts to believe in itself again.I SEE THE SEA
New Brighton, a once-fading seaside resort on the Wirral, has experienced a vibrant renaissance thanks to an ambitious mural trail and creative regeneration project. Over the past few years, local entrepreneur Daniel Davies and his company Rockpoint Leisure have transformed the town’s Victoria Quarter into an “open-air art gallery” adorned with over two dozen large-scale murals.
This grassroots initiative has proven far more than an aesthetic facelift – it jump-started economic revival, bolstered community pride, and put New Brighton on the cultural map. Footfall has increased significantly as visitors flock to see the colourful murals, benefiting independent shops and cafés. Longtime residents, once disheartened by decades of decline, now celebrate a renewed sense of identity as the murals tell local stories and honour heritage figures from New Brighton’s past.
This report advocates for the protection, celebration, and expansion of New Brighton’s mural trail as a cornerstone of Wirral’s development strategy. It profiles how Rockpoint Leisure’s vision, led by Daniel Davies, catalysed regeneration when institutional support lagged. It then provides an immersive tour of the murals – from a Beatles tribute racing toward the old Tower Ballroom to a towering portrait of a local lifeboat hero – illustrating their artistic styles and symbolic meanings.
Comparative case studies from London, Northern Ireland, Philadelphia, Valparaíso, Berlin, and Melbourne demonstrate that New Brighton’s experience is part of a global trend: mural art can be a powerful engine of urban renewal, fostering economic growth and social cohesion. These examples underscore the measurable impacts of mural programs – increased tourism, new businesses, reduced blight, enhanced civic pride – and offer lessons for sustaining New Brighton’s success.
Finally, the report issues concrete policy recommendations. It calls on Wirral Council and stakeholders to back the mural initiative with funding and planning support, to formally integrate public art into regeneration agendas, and to safeguard these works as cultural assets. By doing so, Wirral can lock in the gains achieved so far – a more vibrant local economy, an engaged community, and a distinct sense of place – and ensure that art-led regeneration continues to enrich New Brighton’s future.
Murals have helped write a new chapter in New Brighton’s story; now it’s up to policymakers to help that story flourish for generations to come.
Introduction: Murals as Engines of Renewal
Around the world, murals and street art have emerged as powerful tools for urban revival – a form of “urban acupuncture” that can stimulate social and economic healing in neglected areas. Far from mere decoration, large-scale public artworks often become catalysts for change: they beautify blighted streetscapes, attract visitors, spark conversations, and instil local pride.
In many cities, mural initiatives have been deliberately used to drive regeneration, bringing life back to derelict buildings and forging new community identity. The appeal is multifaceted. Economically, murals create destinations – people will travel to see impressive public art, boosting foot traffic and patronage for nearby businesses.
Socially, community murals engage residents in the process, giving them a voice in reshaping their environment and often addressing historical or cultural themes that resonate locally. And culturally, a vibrant street art scene can redefine a town’s image, transforming it from “unloved” to cutting-edge or creative in the public imagination.
Nowhere is this dynamic more evident than in New Brighton, a seaside town that in recent years has reinvented itself through murals. New Brighton’s journey – from a Victorian-era resort that fell into decay to a buzzing art hotspot – illustrates how grassroots creative action can succeed where top-down efforts faltered. By identifying the town’s unique character and stories and splashing them onto walls in bold colour, New Brighton’s mural's have given both locals and visitors new reasons to walk its streets year-round.
This introduction explores the general phenomenon of mural-led regeneration and sets the stage for New Brighton as a case study. It emphasises that such efforts align with a broader vision for rejuvenating seaside towns: harnessing local culture, entrepreneurial energy, and place-based pride to drive renewal. In the following sections, we delve into how one man’s vision materialised in New Brighton, what the murals depict and achieve, and how similar approaches have succeeded globally – making the case that art and community are integral to sustainable regeneration.
Go and retrieve that horizon!
Section I: The Rockpoint Vision and Daniel Davies’ Role
New Brighton’s renaissance did not begin in a council office or with a government grant – it began with a passionate local visionary, Daniel “Dan” Davies. Born and raised in New Brighton during the town’s troubled 1970s–80s decline, Dan Davies knew firsthand how far the once-great resort had fallen.
After building a successful career in hospitality and training (as founder of CPL Training Group and a leader in the licensing industry), he decided to invest his fortune back into his hometown rather than “sitting on it”. In early 2018, following the sale of one of his businesses, he launched Rockpoint Leisure, a private-sector regeneration company with a bold three-point strategy for New Brighton’s revival.
At the heart of Rockpoint’s vision was the idea that grassroots creativity and independent businesses could succeed where traditional top-down regeneration had stalled. Dan Davies saw that New Brighton needed to offer something unique – not a generic seaside fairground or chain-store experience, but an authentic cultural quarter that would attract people year-round.
To achieve this, Rockpoint Leisure pursued an integrated approach: buying up derelict properties along Victoria Road, renovating shopfronts and façades, and seeding the area with new ventures like bars, restaurants, an art gallery, and boutique shops. A new branding – the “Victoria Quarter” – was introduced to give the district its own identity and sense of place. Crucially, Davies understood that visual impact and public realm improvements would be key to changing perceptions of the area. Rockpoint replaced broken street furniture, added greenery, and, most dramatically, commissioned an array of murals and street art to literally paint a new future on New Brighton’s walls.
“Hospitality-Driven Grassroots Regeneration” became Rockpoint’s mantra. The plan was to create a critical mass of independent businesses clustered together – a synergy that, as Davies told the House of Lords Select Committee, would “encourage [them] to support and feed off each other”, turning day-trippers into evening diners and injecting fresh energy into long-static shops.
Early on, longstanding businesses on the street admitted they had been “stale,” but the influx of art and new enterprises gave them “an injection of optimism and enthusiasm”. Rockpoint actively fostered this cluster effect through coordinated events, social media marketing, and a shared Victoria Quarter customer service standard for all traders in the area. In essence, Dan Davies was not just refurbishing buildings – he was curating a neighbourhood with art and creativity as the glue binding it together.
One of the most striking aspects of Davies’ approach was his commitment to community engagement and local talent. Rather than impose changes from above, he involved residents, local artists, and even children in the process. “Who wouldn’t want to be proud of where they live?” Davies remarked, explaining that nurturing local talent and independent spirit was key to “move forward for a better future”.
The mural project exemplified this: Rockpoint Leisure commissioned both local and internationally renowned street artists, pairing them with community participants. Local artists like Art by Alexander and “Brez” (aka Adam Bresnen) were given prominent walls alongside global names like Ben Eine and SMUG, creating a blend of home-grown and world-class art. In 2019, when a huge Beatles-themed mural was painted, local schoolchildren were invited to grab brushes and help paint part of the design, so that the heritage of the Tower Ballroom and Merseybeat would be literally passed to the next generation.
Davies noted that the “idea of street art is to attract footfall but also get people exploring… it brings buildings back to life and gets people to engage with local businesses and people”. By all accounts, this strategy worked: the murals quickly became talking points that drew people into conversation with shopkeepers and neighbours, reweaving social connections in the community.
The “Black Pearl” mural in New Brighton’s Victoria Quarter depicts a community-built driftwood boat that long stood on the beach as a local icon. Topped with the handwritten Johnny Depp quote “Go and retrieve that horizon!”, the mural by Art by Alexander symbolises New Brighton’s resilience – the boat weathered storms and vandals, much as the town itself has endured, and the Johnny Depp quote above urges locals to stay optimistic. Murals like this tap into local lore, turning blank walls into storied landmarks that residents take pride in.*
Press coverage and public reception of the Victoria Quarter revival were overwhelmingly positive. As eye-popping murals began appearing in 2019, media outlets took notice – the project was featured in The Telegraph, on BBC Radio, and even in NME music magazine, given the Beatles connection. This publicity in turn fuelled curiosity and visits: “Such is the hype surrounding the street art… it has brought more footfall to the area which, in turn, has benefited the local independents,” one local article observed gratefully. In effect, culture-led regeneration offered New Brighton a marketing boost money can’t easily buy – a fresh narrative for a town long dismissed as past its prime.
By late 2019, the Victoria Quarter had firmly established itself as a *destination*: people came to snap photos of the colourful walls, patronise the new cafés and follow the trail to discover each artwork. Rockpoint even started a street art walking tour with a printed guide to help visitors navigate the murals, and opened an on-site gallery (Oakland Gallery) to showcase contemporary art.
All of this was achieved with minimal initial support from local authorities – a point of both pride and frustration for Davies. He invested heavily (over £7 million of his own money to date) and essentially *proved the concept* of New Brighton’s revival before public bodies stepped in. “New Brighton was a managed decline… how was that allowed to happen?” he lamented, listing the many attractions the town lost over the years. He fought to reverse that decline on his own terms, yet noted in early 2023 that “the council seem to want to spend money on everything but this project”, with officials often absent from events and openings.
This lack of early institutional support was one of the key challenges Rockpoint faced. Another challenge was personal: during the height of the project, Davies was diagnosed with cancer, forcing him to literally battle for New Brighton’s future while fighting for his own life.
He soldiered on through chemotherapy, drawing strength from the community’s encouragement – neighbours would stop him on the street asking after his health and urging him to “keep up the fight”. This poignant chapter underscores how deeply entwined Davies is with New Brighton’s fortunes. Far more than a business endeavour, the regeneration became a mission of the heart – one man’s determination to save his hometown.
By 2023, Rockpoint Leisure’s efforts had transformed the Victoria Quarter into a lively hub that attracted creative people from across the region. New Brighton’s example was even highlighted to the UK Parliament as a “regeneration model” for seaside towns, emphasizing elements like harnessing local pride, clustering independents, and introducing street art. Dan Davies himself told policymakers that many aspects of the project could be replicated elsewhere, given the “early signs are very good”.
The outcomes speak for themselves: numerous formerly empty units are now thriving businesses (Rockpoint Records, The James Atherton pub, Rockpoint Apparel boutique, Social 114 coffee bar, etc.), job opportunities for local* have been created, and crime/anti-social behavior in the area have reportedly declined with the return of foot traffic and positive activity. What was once a desolate back street is now “a bustling area where people work, live and visit – with lively, social streets and a thriving, happy community”, as the Victoria Quarter vision statement proclaims.
In summary, the Rockpoint Leisure approach – part urban art project, part entrepreneur incubator – has demonstrably revitalised New Brighton. Daniel Davies’ role cannot be overstated: he was the cultural regeneration expert, urban sociologist, creative placemaking strategist, and community cheerleader all in one. By betting on local character and creativity, he proved that even a small seaside town can reinvent itself from the bottom up.
This publicity in turn fuelled curiosity and visits: “Such is the hype surrounding the street art… it has brought more footfall to the area which, in turn, has benefited the local independents,” one local article observed gratefully.
Section II: The New Brighton Murals – Catalogue and Interpretation
Walking through New Brighton’s Victoria Quarter today is like strolling through an open-air art gallery, each turn revealing a new splash of colour or an image with a story to tell.
Since the project began in 2018, over 20 large-scale murals have been created on building façades, gable ends, pub walls, and alleyway nooks. Together, they form an eclectic “mural trail” that celebrates the town’s heritage, reflects its personality, and adds an unmistakable creative vibe to the streets. This section provides an immersive walkthroug* of the New Brighton murals – highlighting key pieces, the artists behind them, and the meanings woven into their designs. From tributes to local legends to abstract bursts of colour, each mural has become a touchstone of New Brighton’s identity and a visual anchor of its regeneration.
Local History and Legends in Paint: A number of murals pay homage to New Brighton’s rich (if sometimes forgotten) history, anchoring the regeneration in a sense of continuity with the past. For instance, on a wall along Waterloo Road, one finds a dramatic shipwreck scene titled “Seeking is Finding”, painted by the renowned duo Nomad Clan. The mural depicts 19th-century smugglers lighting fires to lure ships onto the rocks – a reference to real events in New Brighton’s coastal lore. The phrase “Seekings Finding and Findings Keeping” floats across the imagery, a nod to an old local saying born of those shipwreck scavenging days. By resurrecting this darker slice of maritime history, the mural invites viewers to discover the *hidden stories* of the town that lie beyond the cheerful seaside postcard image.
Not far away, on the side of the historic Neptune pub, another mural by local artist Brez (Adam Bresnen) captures a beloved New Brighton character: Frank “Peggy” Gadsby, the one-legged diver who famously entertained tourists by diving off the pier for pennies in the early 1900s. In Brez’s mural, “Peggy” is shown mid-dive amid tumbling coins, accompanied by his catchphrase: “Don’t forget the diver, ever’ penny makes the water warmer!. This whimsical tribute connects today’s observers with a legendary local eccentric, preserving a piece of oral history on the public wall.
Perhaps the most talked-about historical mural is the “New Brighton Beatles and the Tower” piece, painted by a team led by Art by Alexander. Covering a large side of a house on Mason Street, it portrays The Beatles in silhouette, running as a group toward the site of the old New Brighton Tower Ballroom – a venue where they performed 27 times in their early days. Above the Beatles figures, the mural incorporates **vintage concert poster designs** by the late Tony Booth (a local artist who created posters for Beatles shows in the 1960s). Unveiled in September 2019 on the 50th anniversary of the Tower Ballroom’s destruction by fire, this mural is laden with symbolism: it commemorates a cultural golden era and simultaneously stands as a “symbol of hope and regeneration” in the present.
The unveiling ceremony even involved Tony Booth’s family and live music, underscoring how meaningful this artwork is to community memory. Notably, as mentioned, local schoolchildren helped paint parts of the Beatles mural – an intergenerational exchange that literally imprinted pride of place onto the next generation.
Facing the Beatles across the street is the “Black Pearl” mural (shown above), depicting the community-built driftwood pirate ship that had become a fixture on New Brighton’s beach. With stormy waves and the exhortation “Go and retrieve that horizon!” scrawled above, the Black Pearl mural has come to symbolize New Brighton’s fighting spirit – much like the actual Black Pearl ship, which volunteers repeatedly rebuilt after storms until it was finally claimed by the sea in 2020. These history-infused murals serve as public artworks and educational installations, ensuring that as New Brighton moves forward, it remains connected to its unique past.
Portraits of Community Heroes: Another category of New Brighton murals focuses on real individuals who embody the town’s character and generosity. A standout example is the “Unsung Heroes” mural on a gable end along Virginia Road. This hyper-realistic portrait by Australian street artist *SMUG (Sam Bates)* depicts local RNLI (lifeboat) volunteer Mike Jones, who has devoted 40 years of service to saving lives at sea. The image shows Mike gazing out toward the Mersey, ever watchful of the waters he patrols. By honoring a living community member, this piece sends a powerful message: it elevates everyday heroism and reminds residents that *their* stories and contributions are worthy of art. Mike Jones, upon seeing his 20-foot-high likeness, said “It’s absolutely brilliant, and I’m really proud of it,” expressing amazement at how SMUG captured his life’s work.
The artist SMUG, known for astonishing photorealistic technique, noted that he loves to chronicle“the lives of everyday members of the community – especially those who normally wouldn’t get recognized publicly”, and hoped the piece would draw attention and support to the RNLI’s bravery. Commissioned by Rockpoint Leisure in 2020, Unsung Heroes joined the growing collection of over 25 large-scale murals the company had funded within two years. The unveiling drew a crowd of locals and firmly established the idea that New Brighton’s open-air gallery is as much about its people as its past. Similarly, another mural by Art by Alexander on Hope Street features a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr., framed by a motif of international flags with altered colors – a statement on diversity and unity painted during the divisive Brexit debate in 2019.
Titled “Pride (In the Name of Love)” after the U2 song about Dr. King, this mural was actually the first one created in the Victoria Quarter project. Its message of inclusion set an idealistic tone for the mural program. By placing a civil rights icon’s image on a pub wall in New Brighton, the community embraced values of equality and hope, while also giving itself a bold new landmark (it’s not every day a small town unveils a massive MLK mural). These portraits – whether of a hometown volunteer or a global figure – reflect the aspirational values underpinning New Brighton’s regeneration: courage, service, and unity.
Abstract Bursts and Playful Creativity: Not all the murals in New Brighton are figurative or historical – many are pure celebrations of color, shape, and fun, transforming the town into a canvas for contemporary street art styles.
On Victoria Road above Rockpoint Records, for example, visitors encounter a huge eye-catching composition of torn layers and geometric forms titled “Torn But Not Broken” by British artist Mr. Penfold. This bright abstract mural resembles sheets of vibrant paper ripped away to reveal different colors beneath – perhaps a metaphor for the town shedding old layers to uncover a new lively core. It’s simply joyful to look at, and as one blogger noted, “pure fun... proof of the power of street art to transform an environment”.
Around the corner, the entire side of a building has been consumed by a swirling, psychedelic pattern of blues and purples courtesy of acclaimed artist INSA. Known for what he calls “graffiti fetish” designs, INSA covered the facade in his signature looping motifs, creating one of the biggest and brightest murals in New Brighton – an instant focal point at the crossroads of Victoria Road and Waterloo Road. This piece (sometimes dubbed “INSA Mansions”) doesn’t tell a story so much as it creates a mood: energetic, modern, maybe a bit cheeky (fitting for a town with a history of cheeky seaside amusements). It also connects New Brighton to global street art trends, as INSA’s work can be found on buildings and even luxury goods around the world.
Another fun piece is “I ♥ NB” by London-based artist *Fanakapan*, which depicts shiny helium balloons spelling out “I (heart) NB” in 3D trompe-l'œil style. The silver letters and red heart balloon appear so reflective and lifelike that one could almost pop them with a pin. This mural cleverly riffs on the classic “I ♥ NY” graphic, but localizes it – broadcasting a simple message of love for New Brighton. It’s become a popular selfie spot and a genial greeting to visitors entering the quarter on Virginia Road. Nearby,
French artist Nerone contributed “Belladonna”, a giant floral explosion of neon petals and dripping paint that covers a corner building in a riot of color. This mural’s sheer scale and vivid palette are hard to ignore – it’s emblematic of how the town’s visual tone has shifted from drab to dynamic and vibrant.
Not to be missed are the multiple works by UK stencil artist Dotmasters, who left his mark with a series of cheeky “rude kids” around the area. One Dotmasters mural, titled “Otto”, shows a naughty child painting a long red line across a wall as if vandalizing it – an ironic in-joke on graffiti culture that overlooks Waterloo Road.
Another, the “Rude Kids House” on Windsor Street, features a patterned wallpaper background with stenciled silhouettes of misbehaving children, as if a scene of domestic chaos is playing out on the side of a house. These pieces inject a dose of humor and edge to the mix, reminding us that street art often carries an anti-authority, playful streak. The fact that New Brighton has multiple Dotmasters works (including a tiny hidden stencil of an overturned ice-cream cone “phone box” that eagle-eyed visitors enjoy finding) shows how thoroughly the town has embraced street art’s sense of discovery and whimsy.
Place-Making and Symbolism: Importantly, many murals tie into placemaking, reinforcing the notion that New Brighton is reclaiming its identity through art. One clear example is “I See The Sea” by famed UK street artist Ben Eine. Painted in massive neon-yellow lettering on a once-blank wall, it proclaims the phrase every excited child shouts on arriving at a coast: “I SEE THE SEA”. The piece overlooks a car park near the waterfront, so visitors literally can see the real sea while reading the words. Its exuberant typographic style has made it a much-loved photo backdrop – simultaneously a statement of geography and a celebration of simple joys.
Another example of art blending with place is the custom pub sign hung outside The James Atherton pub (a venue named after New Brighton’s 19th-century founder). This sign, dubbed “The Three Bellends,” cheekily depicts then-political leaders Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, and Dominic Cummings with bell shapes on their heads. Erected during the tumultuous politics of 2020, it went viral as a piece of pub satire and drew national attention – firmly planting New Brighton in the public conversation as a place with a sense of humor and protest. Though temporary, it demonstrated how even signage was co-opted into the artistic rejuvenation of the area, and indeed “The Three Bellends” became a minor tourist attraction itself for a spell.
Every mural in the trail has its own story and impact – far too many to cover in detail here. A few more highlights include “New Brighton Peter Pan” by local artist Alan Murray (a.k.a. Art by Alexander), which portrays a boy with outstretched arms soaring over images of the old pier and ballroom, accompanied by a quote from J.M. Barrie about believing in flying. This piece, with added butterfly-wing motifs by artist Tiannenmen Bell, symbolises the idea of New Brighton rediscovering its magic and “never growing up” in spirit. Also notable is “Cold Tenderness” by the stencil duo Snik, a haunting mirror-image portrait of a woman that adds an element of fine-art elegance to an alley off Waterloo Road.
And on a lighter note, the side of Habibi restaurant sports a bold “Smile” mural (with sunshine-yellow calligraphy and smiley faces) by Luke Smile, celebrating the opening of Oakland Gallery and simply exhorting passersby to be happy. In sum, the mural collection ranges from historical to fantastical, solemn to silly, but together they create a cohesive narrative of renewal. They shout from the walls that New Brighton is alive with creativity, that it honors its past while embracing new expressions, and that it’s a welcoming canvas for all who visit.
The community’s response to the murals has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Social media fills with photos of the latest paintings; families bring children on mural scavenger hunts; locals proudly point out “their” mural to visiting friends. In tangible terms, the street art trail has boosted the town’s profile: Visit Wirral now promotes it as a must-see attraction, noting that *“over twenty colourful street art pieces… \[have] transformed the sides of buildings,”* all easily walkable in a tour.
A free map and the @NewBrightonStreetArt Instagram keep art lovers updated on new additions. Businesses report new customers who “came to see the murals and ended up grabbing lunch or a pint,” illustrating the footfall increase. By late 2020, despite the challenges of COVID-19, Rockpoint’s outdoor gallery concept even provided a relatively safe, distanced activity that drew people (when restrictions allowed). The murals have also become part of personal memories – wedding shoots have taken place in front of the more romantic murals, and local musicians use them as colorful backdrops for music videos. In a broader sense, the trail has created a shared sense of ownership and pride: the art belongs to everyone, and everyone has their favourite piece or interpretation.
As one New Brighton resident put it, “It’s been so inspiring to see the area come alive with colour, whilst artists, creatives and independents have thrived on the back of it”. The murals are not just paintings on walls; they are the emotional touchstones of New Brighton’s ongoing renaissance.
Section III: Global Context and Case Studies
New Brighton’s success with mural-led regeneration is impressive, but it is not occurring in isolation. Across the globe, cities and communities have similarly harnessed street art and murals as catalysts for economic revitalisation and social change. In this section, we zoom out to examine several comparative case studies – from major metropolises to divided communities – where murals have played a pivotal role in urban renewal.
These examples from London, Northern Ireland, Philadelphia, Valparaíso, Berlin, and Melbourne will highlight common themes and outcomes: beautification of derelict spaces, growth in cultural tourism, enhanced community cohesion, and new city branding rooted in creative identity. By understanding these parallels, we can better appreciate New Brighton’s achievements and glean best practices for sustaining and expanding its mural initiative. Each case study reinforces the core idea that public art is not just decoration – it is development.
London: Murals and Urban Renewal in the Capital
London offers a rich and dual context for mural-driven regeneration – both historical community murals and a contemporary street art boom. In the 1970s–1980s, during times of social upheaval, London neighborhoods like Brixton and the East End saw the rise of community murals addressing issues of racism, housing, and local history. These early murals (often council- or art trust-funded) helped empower residents and visually articulate community identity on the city’s walls. Fast forward to the 2000s and beyond, and areas of London such as Shoreditch, Camden, and Walthamstow have become world-renowned street art hubs, where an influx of murals coincided with – and some argue, spurred – significant urban regeneration.
Shoreditch, for example, transformed from a semi-derelict light-industrial zone in the 90s to a trendsetting “creative quarter” in the 2000s, famous for its vibrant graffiti alleys and murals by artists like Banksy, Eine, and ROA. As noted in urban studies, “Shoreditch is now synonymous with… the ‘hipsterfication’ of regenerated urban space”, and street art tours there construct and promote its creative brand. The presence of vivid murals turned Shoreditch into a must-visit destination for tourists (often young, art-seeking traveler's), which in turn supported the growth of cafés, markets, and galleries in the area.
A city-wide affirmation of the value of murals came with the London Mural Festival launched in 2020. In its inaugural run, the festival invited over 100 artists to create 75+ new murals across 13 boroughs, explicitly aiming to brighten up the urban landscape and provide Covid-safe public art during a challenging year. By 2024, the festival had grown significantly, leaving a legacy of permanent artworks on many previously blank walls.
The impact has been measurable: locations that received murals saw on average a 30% increase in footfall, as people detoured to admire and photograph the new artworks. This statistic is striking – it quantifies what anecdote long suggested, that murals can literally pull more feet to a street, helping local commerce. The festival also garnered huge media attention (over a billion impressions on social media, with press in 11 countries), signaling how a coordinated mural program can reshape a city’s narrative on a global stage.
Specific London examples abound: in Greenwich, a long hoarding around a development site in Kidbrooke was turned into a vibrant mural through the festival, as part of creating a “creative quarter” there, and plans are now underway for markets and community events in the once-neglected space. From a policy perspective, London has embraced street art by working with property owners on legal walls and even matching paint sponsorships (the festival’s “Can for Can” scheme matches each can of paint used with a can donated to community murals).
The lesson from London is that murals can be scaled up as a city development tool: they have been used to rejuvenate alleyways, revitalize business districts, and create new tourist trails (like the “Legal Graffiti” lanes of Leake Street or Camden’s curated street art quarter). By giving artists a canvas and neighborhoods a visual identity, London demonstrates how a modern city can both support street art and reap its economic benefits – a model that echoes in New Brighton’s experience on a smaller scale.
Northern Ireland: From Conflict to Cohesion through Murals
Northern Ireland provides a powerful example of how murals can drive ocial regeneration – helping to heal divided communities and reclaim public space from the specter of conflict. For decades during “The Troubles,” murals in Belfast, Derry, and other towns were notorious for being highly charged symbols of sectarian division – paramilitary and political murals effectively marked territory and often intensified intimidation. In the 2000s, however, with the peace process underway, a deliberate effort was made to “re-image” communities by replacing aggressive murals with positive, unifying artwork.
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland launched the Re-Imaging Communities Programme in 2006, an arts-led regeneration initiative aimed at building a normal, inclusive society through mural transformation. This was *not* an easy task: persuading residents in hardline neighbourhoods to allow the alteration of their long-standing murals required sensitive dialogue and trust-building with artists. The approach emphasized process over product initially – artists held extensive workshops with community groups, youth, former combatants, and residents to jointly decide on new themes that would express positive cultural identity and welcome everyone, rather than intimidate.
The results, though fraught with challenges, have been remarkable. For example, in Belfast’s staunchly loyalist Greater Shankill area, a notorious mural of a hooded gunman (nicknamed “the Grim Reaper”) was removed and replaced with a mural of King William of Orange on horseback, a historical-cultural image reflecting Protestant heritage but in a non-threatening way.
This change – “a public space reclaimed by the community” where once a paramilitary emblem loomed – was a symbolic and practical breakthrough. It signaled that the community was ready for change and made the environment visibly more welcoming. That one project’s success generated positive publicity and inspired other areas to follow suit. In the first phase alone, the Re-Imaging programme (with a ~£3.3m investment) delivered 61 projects involving 9,000 people and 150 artists – an enormous civic engagement effort. Subsequent phases extended into rural border areas and tackled themes of racism and new multicultural identities, producing another 32 public art pieces and engaging 10,000 more people by 2015. All told, nearly 20,000 citizens – many with no prior arts experience – participated over a decade, collaboratively transforming the visual landscape of their neighborhoods.
The impact of these efforts in Northern Ireland has been profound. Murals that once literally painted communities into corners of the past have been replaced by artworks that locals can feel proud of and outsiders can appreciate without fear. It’s not just about replacing imagery, but about the dialogue and reconciliation that the art process facilitates. The Arts Council notes that the program introduced “a new dimension” to social and economic regeneration work – in other words, art succeeded in bridging divides where other interventions struggled.
Communities reported increased civic pride and a sense of progress. For instance, areas that were previously no-go for “the other side” or for tourists now host international visitors on *mural tours*, who come to see both the historical political murals that remain and the new peace murals. In Derry, the Bogside’s famous political murals have been joined by murals advocating peace and unity, such as the large “Peace Heron” mural created by youth from both communities.
These shifts contribute to a safer environment and open up economic benefits too, as mural tourism in Belfast and Derry has become a significant draw (black cab tour drivers narrate the history behind the wall art, providing income and cross-community employment). Northern Ireland’s case shows that murals can be more than beautification; they can be mechanisms of healing and forward-looking change, turning walls that once separated people into canvases that bring people together.
The phrase used by an Arts Council leader sums it up: “Where we once had a highly contentious mural we now have a public space reclaimed by the community”. That achievement is directly parallel to New Brighton reclaiming its neglected alleys and blank walls and making them community assets once again – albeit in NI it was about peacebuilding, in NB it’s about regeneration, but in both, art was the key.
Philadelphia: Mural Arts and Urban Transformation
Philadelphia in the United States is often considered the gold standard for using murals as a vehicle for urban transformation. The city’s Mural Arts Program, founded in 1984, is the largest and longest-running mural program in the world and has fundamentally changed Philadelphia’s landscape and communities.
What began as an anti-graffiti initiative (to redirect graffiti writers into constructive art) blossomed into a citywide movement that has produced over 4,000 murals on walls across Philadelphia’s neighbourhoods. Crucially, the program was structured with a strong social mission: it engages over 100 communities each year in creating murals, involving residents in design and execution, and it provides extensive free art education to youth (especially at-risk teens). It also runs programs for adult inmates and parolees, employing them in mural projects as a form of restorative justice and job training. In short, Philadelphia pioneered the idea of murals as social services and community development tools, not just public art.
The economic and urban impacts have been significant. Entire downtrodden commercial corridors in Philly have been revitalized through targeted mural projects. One famous case is the “Philly Painting” project of 2012, which turned a forlorn, trash-strewn business strip in North Philadelphia (along Germantown Avenue) into a bright patchwork of painted building façades in collaboration with Dutch artists Haas & Hahn. Before, the block had many shuttered shops and a high crime rate; after the murals, several new businesses opened up and the area began to attract visitors who previously would not venture there.
The murals functioned as “urban acupuncture,” bringing a “radiant sense of identity” to a struggling neighborhood and serving as the visual component of a larger economic development strategy involving the city commerce department and local CDC. Observers noted that the colorful transformation “can not only generate pride in the neighborhood but also create a destination”. Indeed, Philadelphia now markets itself as the “City of Murals.” Mural trolley tours and walking tours are popular, contributing to cultural tourism. Studies have indicated that property values have risen in areas with concentrations of murals, and perceptions of safety and civic pride have improved (one early assessment in 2003 found residents felt murals made their neighbourhoods cleaner and safer, fostering positive social interaction). While gentrification concerns exist (as in any successful renewal), the Mural Arts Program has tried to balance by focusing on murals that reflect the stories of the existing community, thus reinforcing their stake in the neighborhood’s future rather than inviting displacement.
One telling metric is from an economic study of Philly’s commercial corridors: it found that murals on or near business corridors were among the top five interventions correlated with a rise in retail sales and foot traffic, a validation in dollars and cents of mural magic. Additionally, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance has calculated that the overall arts and culture sector (with Mural Arts a notable part) generates billions in economic impact annually in the region.
Mural Arts itself, in its FY2020 report, noted the expansion of its programs into areas of mental health and wellness, indicating the city sees broad value in this participatory public art model. In essence, Philadelphia turned murals into a municipal asset: once viewed as blight, wall art is now embraced as beneficial infrastructure. The program’s mantra sums it up well: “Art Ignites Change.” From cleaning up graffiti to beautifying blocks, creating youth arts jobs, reducing crime, and spurring investment, Philly’s murals have ignited change on multiple levels.
For New Brighton, Philadelphia stands as proof that a sustained, institutionalised mural program can keep delivering dividends for decades – if nurtured, murals can become part of a city’s very fabric and economy. It’s an aspirational model: while New Brighton operates on a smaller scale, adopting some of Philadelphia’s community engagement practices and measuring impacts could help ensure its mural trail remains responsive and beneficial to local people over the long term.
Valparaíso, Chile: Street Art and Tourism Rebirth
In South America, the port city of Valparaíso, Chile offers a vivid example of a city rebranding itself through street art – in this case, largely through organic, grassroots growth that the city eventually embraced.
Valparaíso, a UNESCO World Heritage city known for its steep hills and historic elevators, faced decline after the Panama Canal opened (diverting shipping). By the late 20th century it had high poverty and decay. But in the early 2000s, something colorful happened: local artists and international backpackers started painting murals on Valparaíso’s crumbling walls, finding inspiration in the bohemian, chaotic vibe of the city.
Today, Valparaíso is “world-renowned” as a street art capital, where entire neighborhoods like Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción are open-air galleries of murals and graffiti. The transformation is astonishing – the same gritty alleys that once smelled of refuse now burst with color at every turn.
The street art became a magnet for tourism. Guidebooks and travel blogs rave about Valpo’s murals, and tours proliferated. One local graffiti tour company proudly states: “Our greatest victory is that we managed to make Valparaíso a world-renowned place for street art tourism; nobody was talking about street art in Valpo before we were”, noting that despite the city’s edgy, rough-around-the-edges character (which still exists), people now come specifically to experience its artistic side.
This has clear economic implications: hostels, cafés, bars, and galleries catering to foreign visitors have flourished in the street art-rich districts. An entire creative tourism economy – from walking tours to merchandise – has developed. The government eventually capitalised on this, marketing Valparaíso’s “museo a cielo abierto” (open-sky museum) and even supporting projects like a **Wine and Street Art tourism trail** connecting murals with local gastronomy. Importantly, much of the art remains free and self-guided; tourists wander the hills, patronising local businesses along the way.
Valparaíso’s story also has a community element: the presence of murals instilled pride in many residents. Poor neighborhoods that outsiders once avoided are now seen as culturally rich must-see areas. Locals have seen that outsiders value their street environment, which in turn helps build local resolve to preserve and further beautify it. It’s not without challenges – graffiti tagging is rampant too, and there is constant tension between artists and property owners or city cleaners. But on balance, street art has been a net positive for Valpo’s revival. It helped attract international attention, creative energy, and investment that a conventional approach likely couldn’t.
New Brighton’s scale is much smaller, but the underlying concept is similar: turning a place with historic significance but economic struggles into a thriving, art-centered destination. One can imagine New Brighton, through continued efforts, becoming known beyond Merseyside as a seaside street art gem – perhaps in time joining networks of street art cities. If Valparaíso, with all its challenges (from poverty to recent social unrest), can leverage murals to reposition itself globally, it’s a strong affirmation for New Brighton that sticking with the mural-led strategy can yield sustained tourism and cultural dividends.
Berlin: From Division to Open-Air Gallery
Berlin, Germany, provides a compelling case of murals emerging from historical trauma to become icons of a city’s identity and tourist economy. The most famous example is the East Side Gallery – a 1.3 km stretch of the Berlin Wall along the Spree River that was turned into an open-air mural gallery in 1990 after the Wall fell. Artists from around the world were invited to paint sections of the wall with messages of peace, freedom, and unity, essentially transforming an oppressive barrier into a canvas for hope.
Today, the East Side Gallery stands not only as a memorial to reunification but as one of Berlin’s top attractions: nearly 3 million visitors per year come to see its murals, snapping photos of iconic paintings like Dmitri Vrubel’s *“My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love”* (the famous fraternal kiss of Brezhnev and Honecker). The Gallery’s popularity has direct economic impact – it has spawned souvenir stalls, guided tours, and nearby developments (though ironically, the threat of luxury apartments encroaching on the gallery led to public outcry to preserve it).
The key point is that Berlin turned a symbol of division into a cultural asset through mural art, and that has paid off in both city branding and revenue. Ask anyone visiting Berlin and they’ll likely list East Side Gallery as a must-see, alongside museums and the Brandenburg Gate.
Beyond the Wall, Berlin’s embrace of street art and murals in districts like Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, and Mitte has been integral to its post-Cold War revitalization. In the 1990s, squatted buildings in East Berlin became canvases for muralists, and the city’s cheap rents attracted artists from all over. Over time, the city government (which once painted over unauthorized art) started to appreciate the vibrancy it brought. Now, there are authorized mural festivals (Berlin Mural Fest launched in 2018) and programs that commission large murals on prominent buildings.
The murals often carry social or political commentary – a tradition from the city’s ethos of expression – but also undeniably make neighbourhoods more visually interesting. Areas like the RAW Gelande in Friedrichshain, a former railway yard turned cultural space, are loaded with ever-changing murals and are a big draw for young traveler's and locals alike. The street art scene has spawned businesses from galleries to streetwear shops, and local tour guides or apps that help people find pieces like the towering murals by Brazilian twins OSGEMEOS or the brightly colored faces by Italian artist Blu (some now lost to development).
One could argue Berlin’s informal slogan could be “poor but sexy”, and street art epitomizes that – turning the city’s gritty surfaces into an edgy allure. On a policy level, Berlin’s government has had to balance the benefits of street art tourism with the need to maintain heritage and prevent property damage. They’ve found compromise in setting aside spaces (like the *Hall of Fame* at Mauerpark) where artists can legally paint, and by treating major murals as cultural heritage that merits protection (the East Side Gallery was declared a national monument to ensure its preservation).
The resonance with New Brighton is perhaps in the idea of transforming a narrative. Berlin took “Wall = pain” and flipped it to “Wall = art = unity”. New Brighton is taking “seaside town = decline” and flipping it to “seaside town = creativity = community hub”. Both use murals to signal a new era. Additionally, Berlin’s experience highlights the tourism potential: if even a fraction of Berlin’s 3 million mural pilgrims find their way to
New Brighton’s trail in the future, it would be a boon. While that’s ambitious, it’s not far-fetched that New Brighton could develop an international profile on the street art circuit – especially being so close to Liverpool, which draws many cultural tourists. With council support, New Brighton’s mural festival (formal or informal) could grow to involve international artists and become a recognized event, much as *Upfest in Bristol* or *Nuart in Stavanger* have done. The bottom line: Berlin illustrates how a city’s visual art in public space can become central to its global identity and economy, something New Brighton can aspire to on a scaled level.
Melbourne: Laneways to Creative Capital
Melbourne, Australia, offers a case of integrating street art into urban revitalization and branding, particularly through the transformation of its laneways. In the 1990s, Melbourne’s central business district was in decline after hours – much like many downtowns – with disused narrow alleys that were dirty and avoided. The city’s planners and artists incrementally changed that. By encouraging cafés, bars, and street art in these laneways, Melbourne managed to turn them into bustling cultural hot spots.
Today, Melbourne’s graffiti-laden lanes (Hosier Lane, AC/DC Lane, Union Lane, and others) are a major tourist attraction and a point of civic pride, often featured in tourism marketing as emblematic of Melbourne’s edgy, creative spirit. The city is now *internationally renowned* for these revitalized laneways, which are lined not only with art but with alfresco eateries, boutiques, and music venues – a far cry from their neglected state a few decades ago.
The presence of constantly changing murals and street art gives people a reason to wander and discover, funneling foot traffic into areas that previously had none. This foot traffic directly correlates to economic gain: a city report estimated that a modest 10% increase in walking connectivity (facilitated by making laneways attractive and accessible) could generate an additional **\$2.1 billion AUD per year** for Melbourne’s local economy. In other words, by unlocking these “micro-spaces” with art and amenity, the city created a huge financial uplift. Short, intimate laneways became as important as grand boulevards for commerce once they were given life.
Melbourne’s government took a proactive yet flexible approach. They established a permit system to allow building owners and artists to legally decorate walls (acknowledging street art as a valid cultural practice rather than mere vandalism). Iconic Hosier Lane, for example, is a legally sanctioned graffiti zone where artists from around the world leave pieces; this constant renewal ironically keeps tourists coming back for the “latest” art, an ever-evolving free gallery. The city even occasionally commissions murals on prominent sites, blending curated art with the organic street scene.
The result is that Melbourne successfully branded itself as a creative city partly through its public art – it’s frequently ranked among the world’s most livable cities, with its laneway culture cited as a factor in its vibrancy. It also hosts events like Wall to Wall Festival in regional towns, exporting the street art regeneration model beyond the city.
For New Brighton, Melbourne’s experience reinforces a few lessons: *small-scale spaces can yield big impacts when enlivened by art*, and city authorities can play a role by permitting and promoting such art. New Brighton’s streets and alleys are on a much smaller grid than Melbourne’s CBD, but the concept is similar – turning back streets (e.g., the passage where Dotmasters’ “Otto” is, or the yard where Snik’s mural sits) into attractions rather than neglected zones.
Additionally, Melbourne demonstrates how a once-bland business district can become “world-renowned” for its unique street art atmosphere. New Brighton, while not a metropolis, has already shown signs of this effect regionally – people talk about it as “the place with all the murals,” distinguishing it from other Merseyside towns. With continued effort, it could develop a reputation nationally or internationally, especially if events or guided experiences are developed further.
The Melbourne case also underscores the importance of maintaining a balance: as the Urbanist case study notes, Melbourne achieved its laneway revival not with one policy but through incremental initiatives and cultural shifts. It required patience, multiple stakeholders (planners, artists, businesses) working in concert, and protecting the character that emerged (for instance, by limiting over-development that could erase the gritty charm). Likewise, New Brighton’s mural quarter will need ongoing stewardship – by artists, local leaders, and hopefully council officials – to flourish without losing its soul.
In summary, these global case studies all converge on a clear message: murals and street art, when woven thoughtfully into urban strategies, can yield tangible economic benefits and intangible social rewards. London showed footfall and investment can follow murals; Northern Ireland showed murals can mend social fabric; Philadelphia showed a structured mural program can transform a city’s prospects; Valparaíso showed art can redefine a city’s global image; Berlin and Melbourne showed how public art can repurpose the very elements that once symbolized decline or division into symbols of innovation and creativity.
New Brighton’s mural trail stands on the shoulders of these precedents. It validates that the town’s approach is not a quirky one-off but part of a proven, evolving movement of creative placemaking worldwide.
Understanding these examples will help local stakeholders in New Brighton advocate for support (“If it worked in these places, it can work here too”) and avoid pitfalls (like not engaging the community, or not planning for maintenance, which some programs learned the hard way).
Equipped with this context, we now turn to analysing the concrete impacts New Brighton’s initiative has had and can continue to have – and what steps are needed to maximise those benefits.
Section IV: Economic, Social, and Cultural Impacts
The resurgence of New Brighton via its mural trail has generated a range of economic, social, and cultural impacts that are increasingly evident on the ground. This section analyses those impacts – both realised and potential – drawing from local observations and the parallels discussed above.
It also examines the “creative multiplier” effect: how investments in public art and creative placemaking can cascade into broader economic development. In New Brighton’s case, even without formal studies yet, the indicators of success are clear: increased visitors, new businesses and jobs, enhanced property values, reduced dereliction and anti-social behaviour, stronger community engagement, and a raised profile for the town within the region and beyond.
Economic Impacts
By all accounts, the murals have significantly **boosted footfall and tourism** in New Brighton’s Victoria Quarter. Local business owners report noticeable upticks in walk-in customers since the murals began – a direct result of people coming specifically to follow the street art trail or to see a new piece highlighted on social media.
This aligns with the broader finding that locations with murals can see around *30% higher foot traffic* as people are drawn to view and photograph the art. More pedestrians on the street inevitably translate into more spending at shops, cafés, pubs, and restaurants. Indeed, the once-sparse Victoria Road now has several newly opened independent businesses (e.g., **Social 114 café-bar, Rockpoint Apparel, a revamped New Brighton Hotel, Habibi restaurant, Rockpoint Records bar/venue**) and virtually no vacant storefronts – a stark change from a few years ago when many units were shuttered.
Rockpoint Leisure’s model of clustering independents is bearing fruit: as Davies noted, *“businesses were already signing up to occupy the Victoria Quarter”* early in the project, and that momentum has continued with outside entrepreneurs now keen to rent space there. The **number of new businesses** opened as part of or adjacent to the mural trail is at least a dozen, creating local employment opportunities. Jobs have been created not only in hospitality/retail but in the creative sector – local artists were paid commissions, a street art tour guide position exists, and the Oakland contemporary art gallery employs people as well.
The project thus supports the *creative industries multiplier: money invested in art circulates to artists, who spend locally, and the attractive environment spurs more private investment (for example, Punch Pubs invested £390k refurbishing the James Atherton pub in 2019, surely confident due to the area’s rebirth).
Property values and rents in the area have likely seen an uplift too (anecdotally, buildings that were derelict were bought and refurbished, so their asset value clearly rose). As one measure, the House of Lords inquiry was told the project hoped to increase the “% contribution to the local economy” and reduce “redundant buildings” – both of which have happened: previously redundant buildings are now productive, and the local economy is more vibrant.
Tourists from outside Wirral are increasingly adding New Brighton to their itineraries (some come over via the Mersey Ferry or drive from Liverpool after hearing of the murals). While exact tourism numbers are not yet compiled, qualitative evidence (such as guesthouse owners noting more weekend stays, or social media check-ins at the murals by out-of-towners) indicates a positive trend. If New Brighton continues to develop its mural offering (potentially expanding the trail or hosting street art events), it could capture a larger share of the region’s tourism.
Consider that Liverpool receives millions of visitors annually; if even a small fraction take the short trip to New Brighton for the murals, that’s thousands of additional visitors. The spending by these visitors on food, drink, maybe amusements like the arcade or Floral Pavilion shows, contributes to Wirral’s economy. In addition, a successful cultural quarter could start to attract creative professionals or micro-enterprises to set up shop, further boosting economic dynamism.
We already see a hint of this: digital media company *Focal Point Media* moved into a space above the new District House art bar to create a co-working tech hub with sea views, something that would have been unthinkable when the area was grim. This kind of *talent attraction* is a subtle but important economic impact – it means the town is retaining or luring skilled individuals because of its creative environment, helping reverse brain drain.
Finally, the project has brought in external funding and partnerships that inject money. For example, being highlighted in the House of Lords report and other forums raises New Brighton’s profile such that it can bid for arts regeneration grants. The recognition as a model could attract support from Arts Council England or similar bodies interested in seaside town pilots. If council backing comes, as we recommend, that will likely include budget allocations – effectively public money investing alongside private – which multiplies impact. Rockpoint’s initial £7m investment has arguably unlocked public value many times that.
The future economic benefit could be enormous if this trajectory continues for 10–15 years (the kind of horizon Davies envisioned). In that span, we could see dozens more jobs, higher business rates for the council from thriving enterprises, and perhaps significant private developments (done sensitively) that further boost the economy – all rooted in the artistic revitalization that made the area desirable. In sum, **the economic case for the murals is strong**: they have turned an underperforming neighborhood into a budding economic contributor, illustrating the axiom that quality of place drives prosperity.
Social Impacts
The social fabric of New Brighton has arguably been mended and strengthened through the mural project. For one, the initiative has sparked considerable **community engagement and pride**. Longtime residents who were despairing at the town’s neglect now have something to champion. They take ownership of the narrative: rather than talking about “what we lost” (piers, lido, ballroom), they eagerly talk about “what’s new” – the art, the cafés, the sense that New Brighton is on the up.
The psychological boost of this cannot be overstated. Davies recounted a survey where people’s top desire was simply “to be proud of where they live” – New Brighton is delivering on that. Locals routinely post pictures of the murals on community Facebook groups with captions like “Check out our amazing street art!” – a far cry from the posts about dereliction or anti-social issues of years past. This **shared pride** helps bind the community, giving disparate groups a common positive topic.
The process of creating the murals also involved inclusive participation. As detailed, children painted alongside seasoned artists on the Beatles mural; local volunteers assisted with priming walls or even suggesting ideas at community meetings Rockpoint held. The “Unsung Heroes” mural unveiling became a community celebration of the RNLI volunteer crew, strengthening respect for those local heroes. Such events bring neighbors together in celebration, contributing to social cohesion.
The murals often depict themes every part of the community can relate to – e.g., everyone, young or old, has an association with The Beatles or with the sea. This creates conversational bridges between generations and backgrounds. A retired resident might stop to chat with a teenager taking a photo of a mural, whereas before they’d have had nothing to discuss – now they can share knowledge (“I remember Peggy the one-legged diver!”) or opinions on the art. These small interactions are the building blocks of a friendlier, safer neighborhood.
Moreover, the formerly dodgy corners of the area have become safer and more inviting thanks to the increased activity and attention. House of Lords testimony foresaw “decreases in anti-social behaviour [and] low level crime” as a goal – evidence suggests this is being achieved. With more “eyes on the street” from visitors and businesses open later (the James Atherton pub, for example, extends foot traffic into the evening), the area is no longer a ghost town that invites vandalism. In fact, many of the murals have remained remarkably unmarred by graffiti tagging, indicating a level of community respect and informal guardianship (people don’t want to spoil what they’re proud of). The transformation of neglected alleys into photo spots has a profound social effect: it signals that this place is cared for, so people in turn treat it with care. The atmosphere shift – from one of decay to one of creativity – can deter negative behavior and replace it with positive uses of public space (like street performances or just families strolling to spot murals).
Social capital has also grown through partnerships forged. Rockpoint Leisure connected with local schools (some pupils did art projects inspired by the murals), with organizations like Liverpool John Moores University and LIPA who have done projects in the quarter, and even with Merseyside Police on initiatives (e.g., an Oakland Gallery exhibit highlighting support for vulnerable people). These collaborations mean the community is less siloed – arts, education, public safety sectors are talking to each other, often catalyzed by something related to the murals. The sum effect is a community more empowered and cohesive.
Residents have seen that they don’t have to wait for “someone else” to save the town – local action (spearheaded by one of their own, Davies) can effect change, and they can be part of it. This has a self-perpetuating benefit: as community confidence rises, so does volunteerism and positive activism. Already we see new grassroots ideas popping up (talk of a community garden, interest in more events in the quarter, etc.) now that people believe *improvement is possible*.
Another social dimension is the inclusivity of content in the murals. By featuring a mix of subjects – from a Black civil rights leader to a female local legend (the diver “Peggy”), from working-class heritage (trams and shipwreckers) to high art abstraction – the murals speak to various constituencies. Everyone can find something that resonates. For instance, the Martin Luther King “Pride” mural sends a message of racial inclusivity and internationalism, important in a region that, like much of the UK, has had debates about immigration and identity. The Union Jack flags painted with different national colors around MLK drive home a message of diversity and togetherness. It tells minorities and outsiders that New Brighton aspires to be welcoming – a social stance that can reduce prejudice. Anecdotally, after that mural went up, people reported feeling a sense of progressive, outward-looking ethos in the town.
In summary, the social payoff of New Brighton’s murals is a **reinvigorated community spirit**. Crime feels lower, neighborliness feels higher, and the town’s narrative has flipped from one of decline to one of collective pride and creativity. As one mural literally proclaims on a wall: “I ♥ New Brighton” – that’s the sentiment now increasingly shared among its people.
Cultural Impacts
Culturally, the murals have given New Brighton a distinct identity and a storytelling medium. The town is no longer defined solely by nostalgia for lost landmarks (the Tower, the lido) or by its relation to Liverpool; it’s carving out a name as an arts and heritage destination in its own right. The cultural scene in the Victoria Quarter has blossomed alongside the murals: there are live music events at Rockpoint Records, art exhibitions at Oakland Gallery, poetry nights at the James Atherton pub. Street art has that multiplier effect where one creative activity begets others – an environment that celebrates visual art tends to attract musicians, writers, designers, etc.
In New Brighton’s case, the quarter has become a little creative enclave on the Wirral. Local bands like The Mysterines (who hail from the area) have even performed amidst the street-art-laden venues, symbolizing how the murals are part of a broader cultural renaissance including music and nightlife. The presence of public art has also increased cultural literacy and interest among residents. People discuss artists by name (“Did you see the new one by Dotmasters?”), something that rarely happened before in everyday chat. Schools can use the murals as an outdoor classroom to talk about art styles, local history, or social issues depicted, thus enriching cultural education.
Furthermore, the murals preserve and showcase Wirral’s stories and talent. They serve almost as a community museum without walls. Instead of these stories being hidden in archives or fading from memory, they are boldly presented for all to see daily – whether it’s the Beatles running to a gig or the poetic slogan from Johnny Depp atop the Black Pearl mural. This kind of public preservation of heritage through art fosters cultural continuity; younger generations learn about the Tower Ballroom fire of 1969 or the old ferry-linked pier not through textbooks but through the engaging medium of muralism. It keeps heritage alive in a living way. At the same time, the inclusion of international artists and contemporary abstract pieces places New Brighton in a global cultural dialogue. A resident or visitor sees Mr. Cenz’s “Rainbow Goddess” and is experiencing the same artist whose work appears in cities like London or New York. This connects New Brighton culturally to the wider world of street art – a cosmopolitan touch for a small town. It also signals that New Brighton values cutting-edge culture, not just local nostalgia.
Cultural tourism is another aspect: as the word spreads, art enthusiasts will travel to see a good mural collection. We’ve seen beginnings of this; publications like *Inspiring City* (a street art blog) and others have featured New Brighton’s street art, putting it on the map for mural hunters. Culturally, New Brighton is transitioning from “that seaside town with nostalgia” to “that seaside town with amazing street art and indie spirit”. This rebranding is incredibly important for its long-term cultural vitality – it means the town is associated with creativity, attracting creatives to visit or reside. It also differentiates Wirral’s cultural offer from that of Liverpool, complementing it (Liverpool with its formal museums and music history, Wirral with grassroots art and unique open-air gallery). If nurtured, the mural trail could become part of the cultural heritage of Wirral in its own right, deserving preservation decades hence just like any listed building or monument. Already, locals would likely protest strongly if any iconic mural were threatened with demolition – a sign that these artworks have become part of their cultural fabric.
Finally, on a policy/council level, the cultural impact is that New Brighton has delivered on aspirations that bodies like the Wirral Council and City Region have voiced about growing the creative economy. It provides a successful example that can inform cultural policy: the idea that investing in art in communities yields real returns. It’s aligning with national cultural strategies too (Arts Council England’s focus on Creative People and Places, for instance). If the council capitalizes on this, it can strengthen cultural funding bids, using New Brighton as proof of concept that culture-led regeneration works locally. That could lead to further cultural programs (festivals, artist residencies, etc.) being drawn to the area, creating a virtuous circle.
In conclusion, the impact assessment is resoundingly positive: economically, New Brighton’s murals have driven regeneration and prosperity on a small but growing scale; socially, they’ve galvanized pride, engagement and safety; culturally, they’ve carved a new identity and brought heritage and contemporary creativity together in public space.
To ensure these impacts not only continue but amplify, strategic support and planning are needed – which brings us to the final section of policy recommendations.
Section V: Policy Recommendations for Wirral and Beyond
New Brighton’s mural trail has demonstrated its value as a regeneration engine, but to secure its future and maximize its benefits, a supportive policy framework and proactive measures are essential. This section outlines policy recommendations for Wirral Council, local policymakers, and stakeholders to cement mural arts as a core pillar of cultural and economic development. The recommendations also offer guidance for other towns inspired by New Brighton’s success. The overarching goal is to ensure the mural initiative is not a short-term novelty but a sustainable, protected, and expanding feature of Wirral’s landscape and strategy. Key areas of focus include funding, maintenance, heritage protection, community involvement, and strategic expansion.
1. Formal Recognition and Protection of the Mural Trail:
Wirral Council should officially recognize New Brighton’s murals as valuable cultural assets. This could involve designating the Victoria Quarter mural trail as a protected cultural zone or conservation area (much like historical districts) to guard against unwarranted removal or alteration of murals. While murals themselves can’t be “listed” in the way buildings are, the council can incorporate them into planning considerations – for example, a planning policy that states existing public artworks must be preserved or replaced in kind if a building is redeveloped. By doing so, the council acknowledges the murals’ importance and prevents scenarios where a new property owner might paint over a beloved mural without consultation.
An official plaque or signage program could also be introduced, labeling each mural with information about the art and a note like “Part of New Brighton’s Open Air Gallery – protected by Wirral Council,” reinforcing their status. This kind of policy stance follows the example of cities like London, where some boroughs have protected certain street artworks from removal due to public interest. It sends a clear message: the town’s identity as an art place is here to stay.
2. Sustained Public Funding and Support:
Up to now, the mural project has been largely privately funded by Rockpoint Leisure. To scale and sustain it, public funding streams must now come into play. Wirral Council, together with bodies like the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Arts Council England, should allocate dedicated funding for public art in New Brighton. This could be through regeneration grants, the Town Centre Fund, or cultural development budgets. Even relatively modest public investment could have a big impact – for instance, an annual fund to commission 1–2 new murals (perhaps £20-30k/year) would ensure the trail stays fresh and continues to draw visitors back. Council funding should also support the maintenance of existing murals.
Murals exposed to sea air and weather will need periodic touch-ups or protective coatings to prevent fading and peeling. Setting aside a maintenance fund and possibly engaging the original artists (or local artists) to do restoration work every few years is crucial. This is something Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program learned – they allocate part of their budget to mural restoration to keep the collection vibrant. Additionally, public funding can support infrastructure that enhances the mural experience: for example, improved lighting in the mural streets (for safety and to allow viewing in evenings), benches or small public realm improvements so people can linger, and marketing materials like updated maps or a smartphone app for a self-guided mural tour.
The council should also consider sponsorship models: working with local businesses or even national brands to sponsor certain murals or events (as long as the art remains non-commercial in content). With council coordination, such sponsorship could defray costs while adhering to community art goals.
3. Integration into Strategic Plans and Tourism Promotion:
The mural trail should be embedded in Wirral’s broader strategic plans – from tourism development to economic strategy. For tourism, the council’s Visit Wirral platform is already promoting the street art trail; this should be amplified.
The trail could be packaged with other Wirral attractions (e.g., “Murals and Mermaids” joint promotion with the New Brighton Mermaid Trail statues, or “Art and Architecture” tying in the Fort Perch Rock or Floral Pavilion). The council can also pitch New Brighton as a case study at national forums on coastal regeneration, raising its profile (and possibly attracting more visitors). In economic strategy documents, the Victoria Quarter should be highlighted as a creative enterprise zone.
This could help attract grants or business rate incentives for creative businesses to set up there, leveraging the arts vibe. Embedding the project in long-term plans ensures continuity beyond electoral cycles – it becomes council policy to support it, not just an optional add-on. Also, as part of planning policy, the council might adopt an “Agent of Change” principle for cultural areas (as Davies advocated in Parliament): meaning new developments near the quarter must accommodate the existing cultural uses (e.g., a new apartment block must soundproof if next to a live music venue) so as not to stifle the creative atmosphere. Planning could also encourage developers to incorporate public art – for instance, if a new building goes up in New Brighton, require a mural or sculpture be included as public art contribution (percent-for-art scheme). This would expand the trail organically as development occurs.
4. Expansion of the Mural Arts Program:
Building on success, Wirral should expand the concept both within New Brighton and potentially to other areas in the borough that could benefit from creative placemaking. Within New Brighton, there are still plenty of canvases – the project could gradually extend beyond the immediate Victoria Road cluster into adjacent streets or up toward the promenade, creating a wider cultural corridor linking the seafront to the town. The council could facilitate identifying walls on public buildings or willing private owners for future murals. A transparent process could be set up to solicit proposals from artists (local artists given preference but also open to global talent to keep things fresh). Community input on themes would maintain local resonance. An annual street art festival or “mural week” could be established, where each year new pieces are painted live – an event that would draw visitors and media, much like the London Mural Festival or Bristol’s Upfest. This keeps public engagement high and continually renews the trail’s appeal. Additionally, taking the model to other towns in Wirral: for example, the council might pilot mural projects in neglected corners of Birkenhead, Wallasey, or Liscard, inspired by New Brighton. Of course, each place has its own character, so it wouldn’t be copy-paste – but the principle of community murals boosting pride and footfall could be replicated. New Brighton’s artists and organizers could even mentor other communities (which also is a new job/skill opportunity). By framing New Brighton as a first of many, the council can demonstrate it views creative placemaking as a key regeneration tactic borough-wide.
5. Community Involvement and Education:
To ensure the mural initiative remains grounded in local needs and continues to tell Wirral’s stories, community involvement must remain a cornerstone. The council and Rockpoint (and any future managing entity) should establish a community arts steering group or “Friends of New Brighton Art Trail” that includes residents, local artists, youth representatives, and business owners. This group can advise on mural themes, help organize volunteer efforts (like wall prep or tour guiding), and act as a liaison for any concerns (e.g., a resident might worry about a mural facing their home – the group could discuss and mediate).
Keeping people involved fosters the sense of ownership that has been so beneficial. It will also help with content generation – there are surely more local tales and unsung heroes to depict. Imagine murals in the future developed from oral history workshops with elders, or designs made in school competitions; the possibilities to deeply root the art in community narrative are rich.
On the education front, the council can work with schools to use the mural trail as an educational resource. Field trips can be organized where students not only view but maybe meet artists or even do their own temporary mural on a provided wall (“legal wall” designated for youth art).
There could be apprenticeships or internships created for young people to learn mural painting, curation, or tourism management as the program grows – nurturing local creative industry skills. Another idea is implementing an “*Adopt-a-Mural*” program where local civic groups “adopt” a specific mural to help care for it (e.g., keep the area litter-free, report any damage for repair). This again reinforces community responsibility and engagement.
6. Events and Animation to Complement the Murals:
The council should also support a seasonal calendar of events in the Victoria Quarter to animate the space and reinforce its identity as an arts district. This aligns with Rockpoint’s original strategy of combining public realm improvements with events. Possible events: an annual street art festival as mentioned, but also artisan markets (e.g., a quarterly arts & crafts market in the street, drawing on the creative theme), live music or theater performances that use mural backdrops (imagine a play staged in front of the Peter Pan mural, or a Beatles tribute gig by the Beatles mural), guided art walks during tourism weeks, etc. Council support could be in the form of temporary road closures to make pedestrian street fair days, small grants for event organizers, or simply marketing and logistical help.
These events not only draw additional footfall (with attendant spending at local businesses) but also create a festive, inclusive atmosphere that further binds community – achieving the “lively social streets and thriving community” vision expressed earlier.
7. Monitoring and Evaluation:
Finally, policymakers should commit to monitoring the impacts of the mural trail and evaluating results. Setting up pedestrian counters, business surveys, visitor surveys, and tracking social metrics (like perception surveys on pride and safety) will provide data to justify continued investment. As we’ve cited many numbers from other places, Wirral should gather its own: e.g., measure how footfall has changed since 2018 in Victoria Quarter, how many independent businesses have opened, if crime stats have shifted.
This data can strengthen future funding bids and also guide adjustments (for example, if certain murals attract far more engagement, one might analyze why and apply that insight to future commissions). It will also help ensure that the benefits continue to flow to local people – if, say, gentrification concerns arise (e.g., rents climbing too high for some locals), the council can anticipate and mitigate that through measures like rate relief for legacy traders or ensuring a mix of affordable business spaces. Regular reporting on the project’s outcomes keeps everyone accountable and informed.
In implementing these recommendations, collaboration is key. Wirral Council should work hand-in-hand with Rockpoint Leisure (which has the on-the-ground experience), community groups, and arts organizations. By institutionalising support for the mural trail and similar projects,
Wirral can position itself as a forward-thinking borough that values creative culture as central to regeneration – not peripheral. This will not only sustain New Brighton’s revival but could attract new residents, visitors, and investors who are looking for a vibrant, culturally rich place to live and work.
Conclusion: Art, Identity, and the Fight for Place
The story of New Brighton’s mural trail is ultimately a story of identity reclaimed and place remade through the power of art. In a few short years, what was a faded corner of a seaside town has become a thriving canvas that links past to present, locals to visitors, and hope to action. The murals are more than just pictures on walls – they are manifestations of New Brighton’s soul, each one a statement that *this town matters, its people matter, its stories matter*. The transformation led by Rockpoint Leisure and Daniel Davies shows how a community can fight back against decline not with bitterness or resignation, but with color, creativity, and grassroots grit. It exemplifies the adage that “culture is not a luxury – it is a necessity” for communities seeking to reinvent themselves.
New Brighton’s journey holds lessons far beyond its own borders. It demonstrates that even in the absence of large-scale institutional support, determined local leadership can spark change from the bottom up. It affirms that when public and private sectors eventually align in support (as we call on Wirral Council to do now), the impact can be multiplied greatly. Crucially, it reinforces a fundamental principle of urban sociology: people shape places, but places in turn shape people. By shaping New Brighton into a more beautiful, engaging place, the mural project has shaped the people’s outlook – instilling pride, optimism, and a sense of agency about their future. As one resident implied seeing the murals, “If we can do this, what else can we do?”. That empowerment is priceless.
Of course, the fight for New Brighton’s place is not “won” yet – regeneration is an ongoing process, requiring nurturing and adaptation. Challenges will arise: economic shifts, weathering of murals, the need to keep content fresh, and ensuring inclusivity as the area becomes more popular. But armed with the momentum built and the recommendations outlined, New Brighton is well positioned to meet those challenges. The community and its leaders have shown they can adapt – after all, adapting is what they did by turning abandoned walls into attractions.
From a broader perspective, New Brighton stands as a beacon for other towns – especially those seaside towns or post-industrial areas that have felt left behind. It proclaims that “art can save towns”, or at least be the spark that leads to salvation. It’s not about art for art’s sake; it’s about art for people’s sake – to give them something to rally around, to improve the quality of daily life, and to create economic opportunity where there was little. This aligns with the vision the House of Lords report had: that local visionaries and communities hold the keys to seaside regeneration, with culture and creativity as critical tools.
In concluding, we return to the image of New Brighton’s Black Pearl mural, emblazoned with the phrase “Go and retrieve that horizon!”. It’s a call to action – urging the community to keep striving, keep dreaming beyond the immediate, and reclaim the bright horizon that once drew millions to its shores. Thanks to the mural trail, that horizon is now within sight.
New Brighton has proven that with imagination and resolve, a town can paint its own brighter future. The task ahead is to protect that future, invest in it, and allow it to keep unfolding in vivid hues. If Wirral embraces this, New Brighton’s renaissance can be not just a chapter but an ongoing story – one where art and identity continue to intertwine, and where a small seaside town teaches a big lesson about the power of place-making. In the fight for place,
New Brighton’s murals show that the pen (or in this case, the spray can and paintbrush) truly is mightier than despair.
I ♥ N B
-- Rory Wilmer, New Brighton, June 2025
*Appendices:* *(Available upon request – includes a map of New Brighton’s mural locations, list of artists and mural titles, before-and-after photographic comparisons of key sites, and a compilation of reference sources and further readings.)*
References:
La Vida Liverpool, “How Street Art Transformed New Brighton in 2019”.
La Vida Liverpool, “New Unsung Heroes Mural in New Brighton!”.
Inspiring City, “The Street Art Murals of New Brighton” (May 15, 2021).
Rockpoint Leisure – Company Website (History & Vision sections).
House of Lords Select Committee Report on Seaside Towns (2019), New Brighton case study.
Justin Hopper, Interview with Dan Davies, *La Vida Liverpool* (Jan 27, 2023).
ArtsProfessional, R. McDonough, “Creating new images for peace” – on NI Re-imaging programme.
Smart Cities Dive, K. Benfield, “How Public Art Improves the Economic and Social Environment”.
Kidbrooke Mural Festival article (Notting Hill Genesis, Oct 2024).
Visit Wirral Blog, L. Nixon, “Explore New Brighton’s Colourful Street Art” (Feb 10, 2025).
“Such is the hype surrounding the street art and regeneration of the area, it has been covered far and wide in publications such as NME… The attention has brought more footfall to the area which, in turn, has benefitted the local independents.” (La Vida Liverpool, *Jan 2020*)
“Dan: New Brighton was a managed decline… went from being the 3rd largest seaside town in the country to the 68th. How was that allowed to happen? It’s quite frankly gross mismanagement. I’ve put over £7 million into regenerating New Brighton but the council seem to want to spend money on everything but this project.” (Interview with Dan Davies, *La Vida Liverpool*, 2023)
“Mr Davies stressed the importance of ‘the creation of energy’, something clearly observable in the Victoria Quarter. Long established businesses… that have become stale and jaded, have received an injection of optimism and enthusiasm by the influx of new businesses and the energy they bring.” (House of Lords Select Committee report, 2019)
“As a project, the street art gallery of New Brighton began in earnest in 2018. Since then over 20 pieces have been created… The mix of street pieces is a neat blend of local, national and international artists.” (Inspiring City blog, 2021)
“Opposite this powerful [Beatles] piece you’ll find the Black Pearl mural — a beautiful piece symbolic of the community built boat that has battled against nature and vandals — with a personal message from Johnny Depp above it.” (La Vida Liverpool, *Jan 2020*)
“Public art fosters a sense of pride in our streets and brings positivity… On average locations with murals see an increase of 30% in footfall as people go to admire the artwork and take pictures. It’s already working as a number of passers-by stopped to take pictures and chat with the artists on the day.” (Notting Hill Genesis news, Oct 2024)
“In Northern Ireland terms, the replacement of existing sectarian murals and territorial markings with works of art represented real progress in how the modern community wanted to present itself… Where we once had a highly contentious mural, we now have a public space reclaimed by the community and a powerful statement about a community that is ready for change.” (ArtsProfessional, 2016)
“All you have to do is look at the photos to get a sense of how Philly Painting is completely transforming the look of the Avenue, bringing a radiant sense of identity that can not only generate pride in the neighborhood but also create a destination. Several new businesses have opened up… and the neighborhood is even beginning to attract visitors who want to see the murals.” (Smart Cities Dive, 2013)
“Seaside town New Brighton is home to over twenty colourful street art pieces, all transforming the sides of buildings and street corners. Most of the pieces are in easy walking distance from each other, meaning you can embark on a fun walking tour of the town to take them all in.” (Visit Wirral official blog, 2025)
Image & Content Disclaimer
This article contains images sourced from a range of publicly available materials, including my own photography, Creative Commons-licensed media, press and promotional releases, and credited works by mural artists, public figures, and news outlets. Every effort has been made to acknowledge and respect the intellectual property of original creators.
Images of murals are used under fair dealing/fair use for the purposes of commentary, criticism, education, and public interest reporting, in accordance with UK copyright law. Where possible, artists and rights holders are credited directly.
If you are the rights holder of any material used and believe an error has been made, please contact me via the website and I will rectify it immediately.
The intention is always to celebrate, not exploit, the work and voices that have helped shape New Brighton’s creative revival.
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