| Co-op Mosaic | |
|---|---|
 The mural in 2008 | |
| Artist | Alan Boyson |
| Year | 1963 |
| Medium | Glass |
| Subject | Fishing trawlers |
| Designation | Grade II Listed building |
| Location | Kingston upon Hull |
| 53°44′42″N 0°20′24″W / 53.744968°N 0.339885°W | |
The Co-op Mosaic is a mural in Kingston upon Hull, England, designed by the artist Alan Boyson.[1] Commissioned by the Hull and East Riding Co-operative Society for the exterior of the end of their new store, the mural is sited at the junction of Jameson Street and King Edward Street, now a mainly pedestrianised area created for the City of Culture 2017.[2][3] The building was erected by 1963.[1][4] Depicting three stylised trawlers, it commemorates Hull's fishing fleet.[1]
The mural is made from 4,224 panels, each 1 foot (30 cm) square and each containing 225 tesserae – cubes of Italian glass – using 1,061,775 in all.[1][5][6] The panels are fixed to a 66 by 64 feet (20 by 20 m) curved concrete screen attached to the wall.[1][3]
The mural was manufactured to Boyson's design by Richards Tiles Ltd, subsequently part of Johnsons Tiles Ltd.[7] It was constructed by A. Andrews & Sons Marbles and Tiles.
Included in the mural is the Latin text res per industriam prosperae ('prosperity through industry').[1] It also includes the letters "H U L L" in the ships' masts. These appear fortuitously and not through deliberate design.[8]
After the Co-operative Society vacated the building in 1969, it was occupied by BHS from 1970 to 2016.[6]
In May 2007 the mural was locally listed by Hull City Council, who described it as a "superb example of modern public art".[9] The council subsequently pledged to retain the mural when the site is developed.[10] In November 2016 a proposal by Hull Civic Society to give the mural statutory protection at a national level was rejected.[10] The society announced its intention to appeal against the decision.[10] The mural was placed on the National Heritage List for England on 21 November 2019 at Grade II.[3]
An additional mural by Boyson, inside the store on the fourth floor, was rediscovered during refurbishment in 2011.[5] Depicting a shoal of fish, it is more than 22 feet (6.7 m) long and is made from ceramic tiles, marble and stone.[5] Located outside the former Skyline Ballroom (later Romeo and Juliet's nightclub), it had been hidden behind a false wall.[5] The building's then owners, Manor Property Group, announced plans to feature it in their designs for the building's decor.[5][7] It was made as part of the same commission as the exterior mural.[5]
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