Art UK’s New National Survey Maps 21,000 Murals Across Britain
A 16-storey abstract mosaic in Gosport. A 50-centimeter figure of a man walking on a utility box in Aberdeen. Between those two extremes sits a newly expanded picture of Britain’s public art: Art UK has documented more than 21,000 murals across the United Kingdom in a National Lottery Heritage Fund-backed initiative designed to create a lasting record of an art form that is both ubiquitous and, until recently, unevenly archived.
The project stretches the length of the country, from Kirkwall in Orkney — the archipelago off Scotland’s northeastern coast — to Penzance in Cornwall. Its scope is deliberately broad, capturing works from medieval church wall paintings to contemporary murals made in 2025, including pieces recorded while still in progress.
Beyond the headline number, the survey offers a snapshot of what murals in the UK tend to depict, and what communities ask public images to do. According to an Art UK statement, around 19% of the works are commemorative, marking events that range from sporting victories to moments of collective mourning. Animals appear in 23% of murals, while 11% reference local heritage and industry, a reminder of Britain’s industrial past and the way civic identity is often built through labor histories. Other works address climate change, nature, and social cohesion.
Art UK also points to representation. While murals still portray more named men than women, the organization says the medium shows greater diversity than public sculpture, more frequently depicting individuals from the Global South as well as community leaders and activists.
A key engine of the initiative has been a volunteer network of around 90 “public art volunteers.” Katey Goodwin, Art UK’s deputy chief executive, said most were first recruited in 2017 through a partnership with the Royal Photographic Society, when they were tasked with photographing public sculpture nationwide. “It was during the sculpture project that we set up a volunteering programme for the first time,” she said.
That earlier sculpture documentation project concluded in 2021, and the murals effort builds directly on its model. When the murals initiative was announced, Goodwin said many volunteers “jumped at the chance” to participate. Although volunteers were assigned works in their local areas, they often exceeded their briefs, identifying additional murals while on location. In total, the group contributed nearly 5,500 hours over two years.
Andrew Ellis, Art UK’s chief executive, framed the effort as both cultural record and civic service. “Our volunteers have once again achieved something extraordinary,” he said in a statement. “Their dedication has allowed us to make an invaluable record of one of the most accessible and democratic art forms, one we encounter almost every day in urban Britain, brightening our lives and provoking discussion.”
The timing is not incidental. The program arrives amid a broader rise in mural-making in the UK, as street art has moved from a largely subversive practice to one increasingly commissioned by local authorities and business groups seeking to revitalize public spaces.
Scotty Irving, founder of the street art firm Brave Arts, emphasized the public-facing ethos of the medium: “One of the reasons I am a street artist is because I want to share with the world the value art can have by just being in public,” he said. “Street art connects people to true stories.”
Art UK plans to continue the initiative through 2026, expanding its coverage to include indoor murals and developing learning resources, including films, school activities, and audio descriptions. For a form that is often painted over, weathered, or quietly removed, the project’s ambition is clear: to treat the mural not as a fleeting backdrop, but as a central document of contemporary life.
