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Gansey girl mural celebrates seaside town's past

Grace McGroryin Bridlington
News imageBBC A colourful, large-scale wall painting showing a woman dressed in modest 19th Century clothing while knitting a woollen jumper. She is depicted standing in front of an arched church window through which light streams. To the left, a black bird carries a lamp. Another bird flies to the right.BBC
The mural includes emblems associated with Bridlington

A mural of a "gansey girl" has been unveiled to celebrate the heritage of a seaside town.

The painting in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, depicts a woman knitting a gansey – a traditional fisherman's sweater – for her husband or sweetheart.

It is one of two newly commissioned artworks, with the second showing a fishing boat caught up in the Great Gale of 1871.

Sam Porter, the artist who has created the murals, said: "The response has been amazing. There have been people stopping by all the time saying how much they love them and taking pictures and posting on social media."

News imageA man stands in the blue bucket of a cherry picker in front of a large, colourful wall painting. He is smiling and wearing a cap, dark hoody and black gloves.
Porter has been putting the finishing touches to the painting

He added: "Anybody can relate to a gansey girl, wanting and doing something loving and thoughtful for somebody coming home."

The mural, in High Street, was inspired by the gansey girl statue at Bridlington harbour.

The artwork also depicts a jackdaw, a swallow carrying an amber stone and a window from the nearby Priory Church, which are all emblems associated with the town.

"It's riddled in ideas and symbolism. It's probably the most symbolic mural I've ever painted," Porter said.

News imageA large-scale, colourful wall painting showing a traditional sailing boat with large orange sails battling through large waves in a blue sea. The sky depicts a storm clearing. A lobster, seabirds and a puffin can also be seen. It is painted on the side of a large brick building under a blue sky. In the bottom right of the photo, shops can be seen with signs reading "The Seagull Shack", and "Rock, Ice Cream".
A mural at Bridlington harbour depicts the Great Gale of 1871

The second mural, on Prince Street, by the harbour, shows a traditional coble boat struggling in huge waves, as well as a puffin, gannets and a lobster.

The Great Gale of 1871, which struck Bridlington Bay, claimed the lives of 70 sailors, including a lifeboat crew.

Porter said he was inspired to paint the specific style of boat after asking local people what they would like to see.

Angela Merrills, from East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: "We carried out some public engagement and asked residents to tell us what they'd like to see.

"As a result of that, Sam has created these amazing murals. He's absolutely exceeded our expectations. He's become a bit of a local celebrity."

The artworks are part of a wider £125,000 regeneration project led by the council, with funding from the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The project also includes a new footpath in Westgate Park and benches on Harbour Road.

New lighting and CCTV cameras are also due to be installed in the coming months.

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