Murals

Alan Boyson – Skyline, Hull

Listing: Unlisted
Condition: Good condition
Material Type: Tile
Building Type: Commercial / Industrial
Artist / Designer: Alan Boyson
Owners: Unknown
Date: 1963
Address: Community Diagnostic Centre, Albion Street, Hull HU1 3TD
Local Authority: Hull City Council
County: East Riding of Yorkshire
Country: England

Originally designed for the Skyline ballroom in Hull’s Co-op building, the mural was thought lost after it became concealed following alterations and refurbishment. Rediscovered in 2018 more than half the 658 tiles were found to be missing but a restoration project has recreated the lost tiles and in 2025 relocated the mural to a nearby NHS Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Albion Street where it is on public display.

Hull was one of the most heavily bombed UK cities of World War II and the Skyline mural along with Boyson’s other Hull Co-op murals – Three Ships and Shoal of Fish – were emblematic of its post-war reconstruction. The Skyline ballroom opened in 1962 and was a popular nightspot where, amongst others, artists such as Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, and The Kinks performed. Strongly reflecting the modernism of the time, the mural’s abstract tile designs were sponged-printed by hand.