Artist honours grandad with 'most special mural'

A mural of an elderly man, who has on glasses, looking straight on, painted on a building, with words behind the image and a signature at the bottom. There are trees to the left. — Image caption,
The temporary piece of work can be seen on the former TC Harrison Ford Garage in St Neots

Alex Pope

BBC News, Cambridgeshire

2 hours ago

An international artist says he has created his "most special mural, ever" in his home town to honour his beloved grandfather.

Daniel Wilson, from St Neots, Cambridgeshire, who now lives in Chicago, USA, returned home and painted a 15ft (five metre)-high image of Ken Irons, who died in 2002 aged 85.

The portrait was painted on the town's former TC Harrison Ford Garage, on Cambridge Street, which is due to be demolished and replaced with more than 70 retirement homes.

"I was using him as a representation of the town, to show its changing face as lots more younger people are moving to St Neots," Mr Wilson said.

A mural of an elderly man, who has on glasses, looking straight on, painted on a building, with words behind the image and a signature at the bottom. A man is standing beside the image, with short hair, glasses and is hearing a grey T-shirt. — Image caption,
Mr Wilson said he was very close to his grandfather, Ken

"Every time I come back to St Neots from Chicago I always try and find a wall or an opportunity to do a mural and this time it happened," he said.

"Because it's being knocked down, the developers were fine with it, it's only ever intended to be temporary."

He said on the day he was due to paint it, 27 August, he did not know what the subject would be, but then he remembered he had photos of his grandfather when he studied photography at Cambridge Regional College.

"My end of year project was on my grandad, in 1997, I took some good quality images, I looked at one and thought, this will work well.

"Lots of people would have known him."

Mr Irons was born in Eynesbury, and lived most of his life in the village of Hail Weston.

"He was such a lovely, gentle guy, he was a very important influence on me, it was fantastic to paint him," Mr Wilson said.

"It's the most special, important, meaningful and enjoyable mural I've ever painted.

"I'm very proud to be able to showcase my grandad for the town - to see him and to remember him."

An outline of a mural, showing words and a face, with a man in a high-vis jacket, with paints in his hands, and a metal ladder in the middle. — Image caption,
Mr Wilson got permission from his family members to paint the image which may only last for a few weeks and took two days to complete

Mr Wilson's mother Joy said she was proud of her son's work and the painting of her father "was really personal".

"It has brought myself, my brother and my cousins together," she said.

She said that after posting on a local Facebook page, she received hundreds of positive comments, with many saying it was a wonderful memory to have created - and others praised her son's talent.