Murals

Philippa Threlfall – Evolution of Life in the Sea, Skinningrove

Listing: Unlisted
Condition: Condition unknown
Material Type: Stone and ceramic
Building Type: Educational
Artist / Designer: Philippa Threlfall
Owners: Unknown
Date: 1963
Address: Doorstep Green Park, Mill Lane, Skinningrove TS13 4AS
Local Authority: Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
County: North Yorkshire
Country: England

The rectangular 19ft 6in by 9ft mural representing aquatic life is the work of a 23 year old artist from London, Philippa Threlfall. The County Council commissioned an artwork to decorate the new school – Loftus County Modern School, Loftus, Cleveland – and Threlfall was asked by the director of the school to engage the children to help with its construction – an early example of the kind of community art project which is so popular today. Another stipulation was that the mural should be constructed entirely of local minerals. The schoolchildren then collected fossils and stones from a nearby beach for Threlfall to work with. The mural is made up of 18 sections which together depict life in the sea.

The school was demolished in 2009 but the mural was saved and relocated to Doorstep Green Park in Skinningrove in November 2009.