BIGG MARKET MURALS

Two new murals celebrating the history and heritage of the Bigg Market area have been installed in the Old George Alleyway on the Cloth Market.

The artwork has been produced by local artists James Dixon (Lines Behind) and Yvette Earl.

The brief forms part of the Bigg Market Project activity plan and initially involved Northumbria University MA Students who fulfilled a brief to develop concepts for a public art piece celebrating the history and heritage of the Bigg Market.

These concepts were then shared with professional artists who developed their own designs.

Both the student work and the professional work was guided by the NE1 project team in collaboration with Newcastle City Council Conservation team.

Simon Parkin, Historic Environment Officer at Newcastle City Council commented;

“The Old George Alleyway is a portal into Newcastle’s medieval past, when burgage plots stretched back from the tenements of housing that faced the market places. The Old George Yard survives as an important testament to Newcastle’s earlier urban form, although the arrangement of inn, stables and stores that can be experienced today reflects seventeenth century redevelopment within a backland space. Introducing contemporary artworks into the alleyway not only makes the space more visually exciting but will hopefully encourage more people to explore the many characters, events and stories to be discovered in the Bigg Market’s rich history.”

Alex Slack, Head of Special projects Newcastle NE1 Ltd.

“We are delighted to see the installation of these murals both artists have been a pleasure to work with. They have more than fulfilled the brief and enlivened the area. We hope that people of all ages are able to engage with the history and heritage of the Bigg Market and these installations will go a long way to achieving that”

Below is a short video showing the development of Yvette Earl’s piece..

Mural Video