News / St Pauls
Much-loved mural paying tribute to Bristol bus boycott destroyed in wall collapse
There is already hope that a crowdfunder can raise the money needed to restore a mural paying tribute to a pivotal moment in Bristol’s history.
The mural was part of the Seven Saints of St Paul’s project by Michelle Curtis and Paintsmith showing famous faces from the area’s past.
This painting on Byron Street showed Roy Hackett and other people who were instrumental in the Bristol bus boycott of 1963, which arose from the refusal of the Bristol Omnibus Company to employ black or Asian bus crews.
But on Wednesday evening, the rendering on the side of the building close to junction three of the M32 came loose and fell to the ground, taking much of the mural with it.
Fire crews from Temple station used a turntable ladder to clear the area of fallen debris.
At 6.41pm, the fire service tweeted that they also “sadly (had) to remove the remaining elements of the mural which have become unsafe and are no longer secure”.
All of the Seven Saints of St Paul’s murals were painted by Michelle Curtis and Paintsmith – photo: Mary Mann / Bristol24/7
Only a small section of the mural now remains – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Avon Fire & Rescue
Read more: Seven Saints of St Paul’s murals celebrate Carnival founders
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