Huge mural celebrates Stoke-on-Trent's clubbing heritage

3 hours ago

Lee Bottomley,Hanleyand

Lee Blakeman

A small part of what the finished clubbing heritage mural is going to look like

Tom Edwards Images of two men, with headphones, behind them are signs including the Golden Torch and Northern Soul — A small part of what the finished clubbing heritage mural is going to look like

Work has begun on a large mural celebrating Stoke-on-Trent's clubbing heritage.

Two former DJs, Phil Johnson and Bob Leigh, wanted to pay tribute to the city's venues and its DJs and raised £11,000 needed for the project.

Local artist Tom Edwards, who has been tasked with creating the work, said it had been a difficult process finalising the design, as there had been so many suggestions of stories and themes from the large community the pair had created.

The artwork is being painted onto the side of a bar on Adventure Place, Hanley, and he is aiming to complete it by mid-December.

Artist Tom Edwards has been tasked with creating the mural

A man with short, light-brown hair and a beard wears glasses and a grey hoodie, with headphones around his neck. He stands beside yellow scaffolding poles, in front of a red-brick wall marked with cream paint. — Artist Tom Edwards has been tasked with creating the mural

It nods to a range of local clubs from across the decades, including The Golden Torch, The Place, The Void and Maxims, as well as DJs like Keith Minshull, Trevor M, Dave Evison and Pete Bromley.

In 2025, Leigh and Johnson installed blue plaques at sites where historic venues and nightclubs once stood.

Leigh said the "tremendous response" to the plaques inspired the mural. They announced plans for the 5m (16ft) by 25m (82ft) artwork in January.

Bob Leigh describes himself as a life-long music fan

A grey-bearded man wearing a grey beanie and a grey hoodie smiles at the camera. He is standing behind a van with yellow and red stripes on its rear. — Bob Leigh describes himself as a life-long music fan

The initial plan was to produce a series of small paintings to go next to the plaques. Instead, they decided "to go big or go home," Leigh said.

"It's been a long time coming, this has, for various reasons, and the past few months have been very fraught. But we've got Tom, so we're winning."

The mural is going on the side of a bar on Adventure Place, Hanley

Scaffolding runs along the side of a large, two-storey red-brick building. The word ‘Victoria’ appears on a poster and a sign on the building. A grey car is parked to the left. — The mural is going on the side of a bar on Adventure Place, Hanley

Edwards' work can already be seen across the city. He is best known for wildlife murals, the most recent of which is on the Trent and Mersey Canal near Stoke railway station.

The latest project had stood out as "something a bit different from what I normally do and a really cool project to get behind".