Mural Leamington Spa

I just love taking pictures of street art around the West Midlands. As a companion piece to my photographic walk around Royal Leamington Spa, this is a detailed look at the street art around the Grand Union Canal area.  There are several wall murals that are worth highlighting and many are curated by the Brink Street Art group.  Each is interesting and whilst I know some of the artists, the vast majority I am unsure about.  I have put down the Instagram link to Brink Street Art Group if you wish to find out more about these images.  I will update the blog to give the recognition to the artist and their mural so please contact me. If you are visiting Leamington Spa, then they are worth a visit to see.

Leamington Street Art
Those eyes!
Mural Leamington Spa
The pen is mightier….
Mural Leamington Spa
Almost Neon light eyes
Mural Leamington Spa
Cheese, cat and a mouse. @JulesMuck
Mural Leamington Spa
Balancing
Mural Leamington Spa
Across the canal.
Mural Leamington Spa
A pair of eyes.
Mural Leamington Spa
Crow in the moonlight.
Mural Leamington Spa
The beauty of swans.
Mural Leamington Spa
Colourful street art by N4t4

If you liked this then take a look at the street art in these cities.
Birmingham – Digbeth Art and Hi-Vis festival 2021
Bristol – Clifton to Bedminster

Some of the artists featured Jules Muck, N4T4, (to be continued)


Birmingham

I have been documenting the Lockdowns over the last year and we are a few days away from April 12th when shops will reopen. My last blog entry was all about Digbeth. I was interested to see what the city centre looked like and therefore, after taking pictures in Digbeth, I walked into Birmingham city centre.  As expected, It was quiet except for all the ‘Just Eat’ guys on the steps eating during their lunch break.  Their bikes were all strewn around the concourse overlooking St Martins church.  Other pictures taken on my walk included some headline photographs of the Electric Cinema looking sparkly from nearby reflections, trams and masks in Birmingham and the covering of the Selfridges store. Here are a few highlights of that stroll around the centre.

Walk to Birmingham
Walk a mile in my shoes
Walk into Birmingham
This is a cheeky street photo
Walk into Birmingham
Selfridges is slowly being covered
Birmingham April 2021
Texting but not just eating
Birmingham
More of the Just Eat Guys
Birmingham
Street
Birmingham
Just Eat again
Birmingham
Signs of the times

Do you want to read more about Lockdown in Birmingham
Birmingham Lockdown #2 – a visit to the Mailbox
Venturing into Birmingham

The custard fatoiry, Digbeth

Another of my regular visits to Digbeth found me taking pictures of a few of my favourite street art murals. I also got to see several new paintings as well.  Recent visits have been anything but normal and this visit was taken during Lockdown#2 and there were few people around. Parts of the Custard Factory were cordoned off only allowing access to Gibb Street. Parking my car in Floodgate Street I made my way through the alleyway over the river Rea to Gibb street. The area is always changing and I wanted to see The great reset by Gent48.  A van was parked partially blocking the mural but I was able to get a close up of it. The artist does capture the mood of the times with the phrase “the sky is falling down”

The Great Rest
The Great Rest

Following this I made my way under the arches and on the way captured several murals. The car park is empty at this time of the day so I was able to get a picture of the Spiderman mural followed by an old favourite Golden Boy. My list of photographs was almost complete but I had one more to do and that was the Black Sabbath mural in the car park by Digbeth Coach station. As I passed the station I saw how deserted it looked with no buses inside, I like the picture of the empty coach station as it sums up the Lockdown#2 atmosphere prevailing around Birmingham. All pictures taken with the Canon 5D markIV and my 24-70mm lens. I try to take different views of Digbeth, as it is so often photographed.

Digbeth Fazeley Street
Looking up Fazeley Street near to the start of Floodgate street.
The custard fatoiry, Digbeth
The Glory of Custard
Map of Digbeth
There are maps available part of the street art
Golden Boy on Hack St
Golden Boy on Hack St
Palm Oil equals...
Palm Oil equals…
Birmingham Coach Station Empty
Birmingham Coach Station Empty

I love the new features of Word Press and being able to play around with before and after images of the street art is great fun. My first go is with the Black Sabbath picture that is amazing street art by the Artist N4T4.

The positive and the negative of Black Sabbath
Spider Man Street Art
Spider Man Street Art, Trinity Street Car Park
Heath Mill Lane
Heath Mill Lane
Gent48 on Floodgate Street
Gent48 on Floodgate Street
Thinking about Rankin Roger
Thinking about Rankin Roger
Birmingham Screwdriver Factory
Down the River to the Screwdriver Factory
Street Art and Birmingham Icons
Street Art and Birmingham Icons

Further Browsing
Do you want to know more about Digbeth?
Visit InDigbeth for the latest news and views
Try my past blog on Digbeth Art as it too has some nice pictures and links


My way back to Temple Meads train station was long and tortuous.  I took pictures of the Clifton Rock Railway which is no longer operational but I saw the upper and lower part.  There must have been some interesting stories about the making and running of the cable cars whilst it was in operation. All that can be seen is the outside structures which are intriguing but lost in time. The upper and lower parts of the Clifton Rock railway are connected by the Zig Zag footpath. It is a steep tortuous path that offers great views of the bridge but is very steep.

Street level entrance
Closed but still has a history

I headed up the Avon River, pausing to take pictures every so often.  The north bank is very picturesque with its colourful houses on the hills. My first destination was to see the Banksy picture of the Girl with the Pearl Earring. It is hidden down an industrial alleyway and there are several scribbles on the wall where several people have commented on the painting.  The work has character and charm and you are drawn into the painting.  The paint drops caught my eye and the sweeping way that the brushstrokes link together. I was pleased to have seen it.

Underfall Yard
Looking northwards from Spike Island
View of the water

Then onto North St in the district of Bedminster where every street corner has street art associated with it.  I did not use my large Canon Camera as the area was a touch edgy and so my iPhone 11 served me well for taking the pictures of the street art.  The street artists are very clever with the expressions and detail of their creations. Personally I am a great fan of street art but I am not happy when I see some of the beautiful creations simply tagged with vandalistic paint. I hope the photographs that people take preserve the spirit of the pictures for others to enjoy.

Greta Thunberg
The Power of Women
Captivating
Imposing
Here’s looking at you
Suitcases on a Beetle
Fruity streetart
Archway
Unsightly tagging

Then it was back to the train station to leave Bristol and head home. A short stay but many photographic memories.

Bristol Temple Meads
On the platform

This series of pictures features Birmingham centre just after the clocks have gone back. Why is this so important. Sunrise for the next couple of weeks is around 7 am and that is the time that I get into Birmingham. When I took these pictures, I did not have any theme attached to them as I just felt like I needed to stroll around the city and see what is happening.

A lone figure in Victoria Square

There is a fair amount of change happening around Birmingham. This includes the next phase of the Metro tram linking up between Grand Central and Broad Street. There are also many new buildings going up around Chamberlain Square. So many changes happening. I then moved onto Gas Street Basin and caught the light from the early morning sun.

The view to Centennial Square with a lone figure

It was only when I reviewed the pictures that I noticed a figure in each of the pictures. Maybe it is the same person that was following me around the city as I was taking photographs. Whoever he/she or they were, they do add a point of interest and a story to the pictures.

Looking towards the mailbox with a lone figure
Looking towards the sunrise

It is said that somewhere at the turn of the century, a horse and cart loaded with Treacle upended and the cargo split all over the streets. The treacle was immediately scooped up by the locals and the term “Treacle Town” literally stuck. Now Macclesfield is a thriving market town famous for many other important historical facts. In 2010, the Treacle Market was established on the last Sunday of every month and people travel far and wide to the market. It is a craft market with lots of energy including live music and street food. There is a large range of craft stalls selling many different often unusual goods. You can check out the web site to find lots more information. Treacle Market

We were visiting friends and the weather was inclement but that did not stop either the traders or the shoppers from packing the town centre. I loved the day as it was a gold mine for street photography and the collage is just a few of the many pictures I took. If you are ever around the area when the market is on then definately worth a visit.

Here are larger pictures of the above gallery

I had a wander around the streets of Newquay and this is what I found. Lots of shops, amusement parks and pastie shops. I enjoyed the seaside feel to the place. I also found the plaque commemorating the filming of the Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles in Newquay. Sometimes my street photography works other times it is not quite there. I think these shots are OK but I could have done with a few more close ups. I was more attracted to the shops themselves than the people. The train station was a quaint place

A crowded summer street
lots of Bargains
Cornish pasties
Surf hire
Plaque commemorating the Beatles Magical mystery tour
Amusements
Your friendly Argos
More bargains
Flotation devices
More Amusements
More Surf Hire
Newquay Station
Newquay station

The Huer’s Hut above the town is a 14th Century look out for large shoals of pilchards. They would shoot out to the fishermen who would set sail immediately. It looked very dramatic against the sky

Huer’s Hut
Dramatic white brick against sky

I also “lost” my son-in-law James as we got confused as to where we were going to meet. Luckily I found him in a BT phone box trying to phone me as his mobile has run out of charge.

An amusing picture.

Centenary square has a new water feature and it is a very large reflecting pool. It offers photographers the chance to take some beautiful pictures. Whilst it has been opened there is still work taking place on the square and it will be even more spectacular when it is completed. If you search Instagram there have been many pictures already taken with children splashing in the fountains or late night shots with sparkling lights. I am sure that I will return with even more pictures over the year to come. When I posted my pictures on Twitter, some one suggested that it could be a ready made advert for Birmingham in a similar mode to the Thames TV iconic reflected picture. I rose to the challenge and made one with Birmingham on the picture. If you are reading this then you must visit Birmingham!!

The library
Reflections to the cube
The ICC and the Rep
A lovely looking reflection
The Rep theatre
Doing the walk with your reflection
New Street Station

It is busy at work and so much of my photography is confined to the walks in town between the train and bus connections early in the morning. Some are in the afternoon depending on the timing. I will usually vary my bus stops so that I can take in different walks. This leads to a variety of photographs. One building that has taken up a prominent feature of the cityscape is the new Primark building. The architecture is a touch brutal and is not an easy place to photograph. Street art is always changing and the David Bowie mural on Dudley St by Annatomix is very distinctive. Her work is always good and there are several murals strategically placed around the city.

Watch that man – artwork by Annatomix
Follow the trail – poster outside Moor Street Station
The entrance to the new Primark Store
The jaunty angle gets the Rotunda into the picture
Link Street with the Rotunda in the background
The curse of the use of mobile phones is everywhere
Looking down Smallbrook Queensway
Framing the BT Tower