COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Plans for a wildlife mural on Spon Street have been submitted



Foxes and peregrine falcons are just some of Coventry's "hidden nature" that will be celebrated in a planned new street art. The wildlife mural, if approved by the council, is set to brighten up two walls on Spon Street near the city centre.

One panel features a mother fox and her cubs on a background of grass and flowers, with a butterfly to the side. The other is a striking peregrine - the birds are known to live in the areas around Coventry Cathedral.

It has been designed by artist Curtis Hylton, who is known for his colourful, floral-inspired murals. Hylton's street art depicts animals from kingfishers to tigers and has made a splash across cities in the UK, including London, Portsmouth and Bristol.

His Coventry mural is inspired by a survey of the city's wildlife - Coventry’s Creature Count - and a national report into local species. Funded by the City of Culture bid, the work reflects May's theme of 'Green Futures'.

Its aim is to showcase how the city known for its concrete buildings has plenty of space for nature to thrive. But the work won't come cheap as it has an estimated budget of £10,000, according to the application.

In an artist statement with the designs, Hylton states that the murals will be painted in his signature organic style, including floral features in the depictions of the animals. The new artwork will take five days to install and be based on the walls of IDP architects on 27 Spon Street.

A decision is due on May 24 and the public can comment until May 12.

A heritage statement submitted with the bid reads: "The month of May for City of Culture is Green Futures. We are looking to create a mural that will fit in with this theme – combining nature and street art Green Futures are exploring the themes of biodiversity and wildlife and how that can improve the wellbeing of humans."

It adds: "To tie in street art with Green Futures the proposed mural will include local species identified through the national state of nature mapping report and Coventry’s Creature Count observations. The mural will then reflects [sic] Coventry’s hidden nature."

Urban wildlife murals appear in historic Coventry street



Murals celebrating urban wildlife has sprung up on buildings in a city.

A large painting of a fox family and another of a peregrine falcon has appeared on the side of buildings in Coventry.

They were produced by local group Street Art Strategy, part of a UK City of Culture project.

The group has been decorating walls in the city since May 2021 and previous creations included a balloon-mural which spelt out "I Love Cov".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the new artwork, depicting wildlife which can be found in the city, can be seen in historic Spon Street.



Coventry City of Culture's wider Green Futures natural heritage art programme has received £3m from the Lottery Heritage Fund.

Green Futures Programme Manager Amanda Roberts previously described it as "a project driven by contemporary art that finds new ways for the city's diverse communities to explore Coventry's natural heritage and landscape".

Michael Batchelor, from Street Art Strategy, said he believes the works will have a lasting impact.