The award-winning Flower Streets project in Kirkdale has been completed with a final brush stroke on Crocus Street.
The community initiative consists of 12 murals inspired by the floral street names in the neighbourhood and have transformed the once-neglected area.
Local artist Madeleine Pires returned to Kirkdale earlier this month and completed the last floral mural, with contributions from local school children and residents. Her aim was to create ‘two-dimensional gardens’.
She said: “It’s believed that the person who named them [the streets] gave them names of flowers, because there weren’t any gardens or parks nearby at the time…they just bring that sense of the natural world into an urban environment that’s been quite neglected over the years.”
Residents in the area have watched their streets blossom over the past two years, with murals celebrating Daisy, Pansy, Snowdrop, Harebell and Woodbine.
The project was commissioned by Liverpool City Council alongside Culture Liverpool. At their request, Dot-art found artist Madeleine Pires to undertake the project.
Since its launch in April 2023, the murals’ recognition has been awarded with the Community Cohesion Award and the People’s Choice Award, voted for by the public.
Lucy Byrne, Managing Director of Dot-art said: “A lot of the people who lived in the area, when we said the word ‘mural’, they thought of graffiti, they thought of all the big football murals around the stadiums…while they have their place, this is not that. We wanted to show that murals could be something very different and could really bring joy and colour and life.”
Flower Streets are part of Liverpool City Council’s Neighbourhoods programme, which focuses on creative projects that empower communities, encourage empowerment and inclusivity, and addresses the needs of neighbourhoods.
Lucy Byrne said: “I think it’s very easy to dismiss art and the power of art. This is a really great example of how it can genuinely change people’s lives, bring pride into an area back, improve antisocial behaviour and just make people’s lives better.”
The project was also supported by the Safer Streets initiative, aimed at cutting crime rates and improving safety in the Kirkdale area.
Madeleine Pires said: “One local person said that I was the best thing to happen to this part of Kirkdale, which was very touching…just to hear that come from someone who’s lived in Kirkdale all their life, it makes me feel like it’s all worthwhile.”
The Flower Streets are now fully in bloom, leaving behind a brighter future for the area.
Listen below to the story of how Kirkdale’s streets are blooming with community, and the voices behind the Flower Streets Project.
Featured image – Picture credits: Lucy Byrne, Dot-art
