Huge haddock highlights Grimsby’s heritage

Grimsby has unveiled its latest mural to honour the town’s fishing heritage, reports Paul Scott

The spectacular ‘Harriet the Haddock’ mural in Town Hall Square, by artist Jake Klone, represents the importance of the fishing industry in Grimsby.

The mural, which took five days to complete, depicts the colourful haddock guarding the shipwreck of Grim the Viking, and the dock tower of Grimsby.

Jake Klone told Fishing News: “For the mural I wanted to portray the importance of the fishing trade, and how it has been the economic backbone to the town, so hopefully now the mural ‘Harriet the Haddock’ can bring some other kind of positivity to the town of Grimsby, just as much as the fishing has.”

The mural is the third recently created to reflect the town’s links to the fishing industry, following one painted at the entrance to Grimsby Town Football Club’s Blundell Park stadium, and Andy Pea’s ‘Racing the Wind’ (Fishing News, 16 August, ‘Wall to wall heritage: The mural man’).

The murals are part of the Paint the Town Proud project, which is providing an extensive programme of visual artwork and impactful multimedia that combines creative technologies, such as digital design and photography, alongside community-led murals and graffiti.

Work on the mural was supported by volunteers from the town’s Creative Start Arts in Health CIC’s initiative, ‘The Comeback’ Alcohol Addiction Recovery Drop-In Studio, which aims to help people make new connections and meet others in recovery from addiction.

“One of the main reasons I love painting murals in public places is that I hope it inspires creativity and brings a smile to people’s faces,” Jake Klone told FN.

This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.