A mural on a gable end at North Junction Street, Leith, depicting Leith's historic connections with the sea

North Junction Street, Leith

Mural

This mural was painted on the gable end of a building in North Junction Street by Street Artworks in Oct-Dec 1986, based on material gathered from members of the Leith Local history Project during workshops run throughout 1985.

Street Artworks was a partnership between Tim Chalk and Paul Grime. They later set up in partnership trading as Chalk & Grime

Now, in 2006, artist and sculptor Tim Chalk is still working in Edinburgh from his studio, Chalkworks. One of his recent creations is the Christmas Crib at the foot of the Mound, Edinburgh.

Paul Grime is now based near Kelso in the Scottish Borders and is still creating public artworks.

This mural looks quite different in different lighting conditions, but is perhaps never quite as saturated as in the image below. Please click on the small picture below to enlarge it.

'Cavorting Sailors'

On the ground in front of this mural, beside Leith Public Library, Shaeron Averbuch created the sculpture, Cavorting Sailors, in 2002. The sculpture had three life-size figures made from ferro-cement and some real whisky barrels:

- a sailor reclining on a wall, holding a whisky bottle.

- a sailor on the pavement, reading an old sea chart.

- a sailor rolling out a barrel.

Unfortunately, the first two of these were vandalised in 2003. The third remains substantially in tact.