Withington Walls: Our Landmark

Walk down almost any street in Withington and you'll find one. A shutter that was grey and is now gold. A gable end that was blank and is now alive with colour. A wall that was forgotten and is now a landmark. This is the work of Withington Walls — a grassroots street art project that has quietly transformed the visual identity of this neighbourhood, one surface at a time.

The project is volunteer-led and donation-funded. There are no commercial commissions, no corporate sponsors calling the shots. Artists are connected with spaces, and people are connected with places. The result is a free, open-air gallery that belongs to everyone — the elderly resident who passes it on the way to the shops, the child who stops to stare, the visitor who photographs it and shares it with the world.

The Marcus Rashford mural is perhaps the most famous chapter in the Withington Walls story — but it is far from the only one. Across the neighbourhood, works by artists including OskarwithaK, AkseP19, Mr Eggs, Caroline Dowsett and many others have turned shutters, walls and forgotten corners into something worth looking at. The open-air gallery now stretches across the whole area, mapped and documented for anyone who wants to explore it on foot.

The Rashford mural became something more than art when it was defaced and the community responded by covering the wall with thousands of messages of love and solidarity. That response drew international attention — but more importantly, it showed what collective kindness looks like. The mural now underpins an educational resource for schools and youth groups, exploring themes of community, activism and empathy.

Withington Walls has also used public art to support wider causes — raising awareness and funds for Mission Ukraine and other community initiatives. Art in everyday spaces, the project believes, can encourage people to care, respond and get involved.

The project runs entirely on donations and grants. If you value what Withington Walls does for this neighbourhood — if you've ever stopped in front of one of its murals and felt something — this is your chance to help keep it going.