New mural brings south Leamington's past to life
A new mural has been unveiled in South Leamington, offering a unique glimpse into the area's rich local history.
The artwork, located at Market Corner, was created by Leamington-based muralist Emily from Mama Murals.
Emily was inspired to create the mural after noticing a piece of carved stone reading Market Corner 1923 in the area.
Curious about its origins, Emily contacted the Leamington History Group, which connected her with Tessa, a former resident who grew up in the area during the 1950s.
Tessa shared vivid memories of her childhood, including the local grocery store, a wireless battery repair shop, a bicycle shop, drapers and shoe menders – stories which went on to inspire the mural's design.
Emily expressed: "I just thought that it would make an amazing visual story for one of the murals."
After receiving the go-ahead, Emily began painting, completing the mural over three days during the May bank holiday weekend.
Describing the process of crafting the mural she said: "What I realised is the thing that I like about murals is the people that I meet while painting them.
"I feel a bit more connected to my own neighbourhood now because I've met so many people who stopped by to have a chat, and people got used to me being there while I painted."
She recalled that many locals stopped to share memories, including two gentlemen who told her they had gone to the same school at five years old and were still friends in their seventies.
"It was such a joy to meet people and I think that's that's really why I do it, because it's not just the art, it's how the art can almost embed into the community and even build community, which makes it much more rewarding than just kind of turning up painting and then leaving," she said.
Despite painting during the short heatwave at the beginning of May, the local community help Emily to keep going.
"Some children bought me an ice lolly and an iced coffee from the shop which was just so cute.
"A lovely guy from Spain stopped by every day and brought me a different cold drink, which was just so nice," said Emily.
"I think that kind of helped me keep going, to see people bringing things made me feel like they were all happy to see the artwork, and it was kind of like being cheered on in a way."
A unique element included in the mural is the depiction of wireless battery recharging, something Emily acknowledged she had never seen before and had to research before interpreting it in the mural.
"It is probably the one thing that unless you were living in Leamington in the 50s, you wouldn't know what it looks like", she explained.
Spending time in the area also helped Emily get to know the current local businesses, which she included in the artwork.
"A lot of the older businesses are still there now, there's still a fish and chip shop and there was back in the day.
"I added a scissors and a comb for the barbers, and chopsticks for the Chinese takeaway," she explained.
She added that she always tries to leave space in her designs for community suggestions.
"People often come up and say, 'You've got to include this,' and sometimes you can't fit it in, but if I can, I'll try to."
Looking ahead, Emily is eager to continue her work and is especially keen to create a mural at the pavilion in Newbold Comyn, a place she visits daily and describes as having a great community.
"If there's anyone out there who wants to talk about getting a mural done, then I'm always up for chatting about it."
You can view more of Emily's work here.
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