North Shields No.4, by Anthony Downie

This mural captures a familiar feature of North Shields: one of the many back lanes that run between the town’s old terraced streets. Rich colours and strong, contrasting shadows evoke a sense of recognition and memory—of the paths we've walked, played in, and loved across generations. The artist has an amazing way of turning the ordinary into something really special. He invites us to look again and places we may not really pay attention to. 

Although the artwork appears stylised and almost dreamlike, it actually depicts a real location just a few hundred metres from the wall it’s painted on. Do you recognise where it is? 

Anthony Downie is an artist and set builder based in North Shields. He began as a spray paint art teacher, running community mural projects and illustrating album artwork. He later moved into scenic work for theatre and events, including with Northern Stage and Live Theatre. In recent years, he has rediscovered painting, with his richly coloured images of local streets and buildings exhibited at venues including the Biscuit Factory, Baltic, and Woodhorn.