Mural idea set to mark city's clubbing heritage

Two men say they want to create a large wall mural celebrating the history of the clubbing scene in a city.

Phil Johnson and Bob Leigh have started initial work on plans for the artwork about Stoke-on-Trent's venues and DJs, which would measure about 5m (16ft) by 25m (82ft).

The pair, who recently ran tours covering the city's nightlife venues, said it could feature a timeline running from the 1960s to the present day.

Johnson told BBC Radio Stoke he got the idea after seeing a number of murals around Rochdale in Greater Manchester.

"No disrespect to Rochdale but Stoke-on-Trent has given so much to the world," he said.

He referred to September's unveiling of the 100 Years 100 Faces mural on Marsh Street, Hanley, to mark the city's centenary, adding: "Let's do something similar about nightlife culture."

Johnson said he was currently looking for a location for the mural in Hanley and highlighted The Potteries Centre and a large wall near the local Tesco as possibilities.

The pair's timeline mural, in their plan, would stretch back to 1963 when The Place – which they believe to be the UK's first discotheque – opened in Hanley.

Other notable venues in the city included Shelleys Lazerdome, Club Kinetic, The Antelope and Valentino's.

Last year, Leigh and Johnson put up a series of unofficial blue plaques marking where former venues once stood and hosted tours to visit them.

Johnson said the events were "wonderful" but many people expressed their disappointed that the clubbing scene appeared to have fallen away across the city in recent years.

Leigh described Johnson's idea for the mural as "very ambitious".

"I think people will love it…Manchester is full of those huge wall murals, they're all over the city and everybody loves them," he added.

"I think it would be tremendous."

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