Just recently I got wind of a large and very new nature-themed mural situated on the side of a building in Stockport town centre – it’s quirky, colourful and has a great story attached to it so when I saw the picture of it I scrapped any plans I had for the day so I could go and see it for myself. I’d never been to Stockport before and it meant changing trains at Manchester’s Piccadilly station but unlike the aggravation I had a couple of weekends ago this time everything went according to plan.
Covering an 18-metre by 4-metre wall the mural, the largest of it’s kind ever showcased in the UK, was unveiled during last weekend’s celebrations to mark the end of Stockport’s stint as Greater Manchester Town of Culture. Supported by bosses at the Merseyway Shopping Centre and fully funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) it was masterminded by local artist Caitlin Atherton, co-owner of local recycling community benefit society Plastic Shed.
Several years in the planning the mural has been handcrafted using recycled boards and around 80,000 plastic bottle caps collected and donated by local groups including schools, colleges, nursing homes, cafes, offices, gyms, churches, restaurants, charities and youth groups. Over 150,000 screws were donated by screw manufacturers Optimaxx via the Stockport branch of Wickes, meaning a large chunk of the budget could be used on 100% recycled plastic boards, which in turn meant the reuse of an additional 891kg of plastic waste.
The mural was easy enough to find, just a ten-minute walk from Stockport station, but I was a bit disappointed to see that the nearby wide pavement had been blocked off by temporary barriers so I couldn’t get an uninterrupted view of the whole thing, and the narrow walkway immediately in front of it meant that I was too close, so most of my photos are of separate parts of it.
This is obviously a mural which looks better viewed from a distance so it’s a pity those barriers were in front of it; photographing sections of it at such close quarters wasn’t ideal, however now I’ve got the photos on the pc I find it helps to sit back from the monitor. It’s a great mural and a credit to the artist, and it was well worth taking three hours out of my day to go and see it.
I wouldn’t have minded too much if there was some work going on there but there wasn’t, so it seemed pointless the barriers being there. It’s a great mural and a good use of recyled items but it must have taken absolutely ages to create it.
Ideas like this are brilliant for all sorts of reasons. Hopefully, you can go back when the barriers have been removed. Barriers, scaffolding and vans are all part of a photographer’s day out.
It’s a brilliant mural and a great way of recycling the bottle caps which could otherwise pollute the countryside, rivers and the sea. I doubt I would go back though as I’ve no way of knowing when the barriers will be removed, and with no other reason to go to Stockport I wouldn’t want a wasted journey. But never say never….😉
It’s not somewhere I’ve ever wanted to go to and I only went for the mural. I bypass the place if I’m heading east along the motorway but that’s as close as I get.
It’s a brilliant mural and I love how it’s been made out of recycled items. It’s worth going to see but if you’re only in the city for a couple of days and no doubt have plans anyway you probably won’t have the time.
Life In The Mouse House 
That’s brilliant, much bigger than our Bottlecelli! What a shame they had to stick those ugly barriers in front of it though.
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I wouldn’t have minded too much if there was some work going on there but there wasn’t, so it seemed pointless the barriers being there. It’s a great mural and a good use of recyled items but it must have taken absolutely ages to create it.
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That must have taken months to put together. Is it all plastic bottle tops?
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Yes, it is, every single bit of it other than the screws used to fix them in place.
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Now I see why they needed so many screws.
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Wow, impressive, creative and very colourful.
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It’s certainly very eye catching, and a great use of items which could end up in landfill or the ocean.
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Ideas like this are brilliant for all sorts of reasons. Hopefully, you can go back when the barriers have been removed. Barriers, scaffolding and vans are all part of a photographer’s day out.
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It’s a brilliant mural and a great way of recycling the bottle caps which could otherwise pollute the countryside, rivers and the sea. I doubt I would go back though as I’ve no way of knowing when the barriers will be removed, and with no other reason to go to Stockport I wouldn’t want a wasted journey. But never say never….😉
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Stockport is somewhere I go through, not to!
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It’s not somewhere I’ve ever wanted to go to and I only went for the mural. I bypass the place if I’m heading east along the motorway but that’s as close as I get.
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Beautiful and what a great idea.
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It really is lovely, it’s just a shame those barriers were in front of it as they did rather spoil the view of it.
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That’s certainly stunning and so great that is made from bottletops. The colours really pop!
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It’s a brilliant mural and so well done, though it was only after I got home that I realised it doesn’t have a rabbit 😦
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Aw shame, but still beautiful. Wildlife murals are the best!
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What a wonderful mural! I’m back in Manchester next week for a couple of days.
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It’s a brilliant mural and I love how it’s been made out of recycled items. It’s worth going to see but if you’re only in the city for a couple of days and no doubt have plans anyway you probably won’t have the time.
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