A PUB featuring a “forgotten” mural by the late Scottish artist Alasdair Gray has gone on the market.
The Falls of Clyde mural was rediscovered on the wall of the Riverside Tavern in Kirkfieldbank, Lanarkshire, as part of refurbishment works.
It had been covered over by wallpaper, paint and light fittings and when uncovered in 2006 it was badly damaged.
Gray, who died in December, was asked in 2009 by the then landlord to restore the artwork he had completed 40 years earlier shortly after he graduated from the Glasgow School of Art.
READ MORE: Alasdair Gray: Legendary Scottish artist and author of Glasgow epic Lanark dies aged 85
The 4ft wide and 25ft long mural in the main bar area depicts views of the gorge of the River Clyde and features landmarks including the famous Falls of Clyde near New Lanark.
The bar’s leasehold is now up for sale for £30,000 and the owners will also consider offers to buy it outright.
It features a dining room capable of seating 65 people as well as a three-bedroom flat upstairs.
A listing for the pub reads: “Our clients acquired the premises circa 2016 and since then, there has been an extensive renovation carried out to the property internally.
“As a result, the premises are fitted and equipped to a top quality standard throughout.
“Art lovers visit the bar to view the ‘Falls Of The Clyde Mural’, a 25ft by 4ft high artwork created by well-known artist Alasdair Gray in 1969 – the eye catching mural decorates the main wall in the bar area.”
Speaking ahead of repairing the mural, Gray said: “I’d never painted anything like that before and it took a lot of time and care.
“I’d given it up for lost but I take it for granted that an artist’s work may be destroyed.
“This part of the river is fascinating for its geology, natural history and the social history of Scotland through its connection with William Wallace, the early industrial revolution, David Dale and the Scottish co-operative movement.
READ MORE: Obituary: Alasdair Gray, writer and artist
“I have since enjoyed many walks with friends here, especially at weekends when Bonnington power station is switched off and the Clyde Falls can be seen with the full force that astonished Wordsworth and Coleridge.”
Gray passed away last month aged 85. He left his body to science. He was known for novels such as Lanark and Poor Things, which are both set in Glasgow where he was born.
His public murals are visible across the city, with further pieces on display in the V&A and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
One of his most famous murals spans the ceiling of the Oran Mor pub and restaurant in the west end of Glasgow.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article