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Built in the early 1970s, the Bullring car park is located within a raised roundabout in the centre of Greenock where the A8 road from Edinburgh (now) terminates and joins the A78 to Prestwick, the A770 to Inverkip and Container Way. Two short pedestrian underpasses link the car park with the town centre and the Waterfront area of the town.

In 1978/9 Inverclyde District Council commissioned renowned Scottish artist Robert Stewart (1924-1995) to create ceramic tiled murals in the south underpass, to depict some of the many Clyde passenger steamers that used to ply their trade from the nearby Customhouse Quay. The result was two white tiled walls with a gallery of magnificent colourful scale models of twelve of the ships arranged in frames, six on each side of the underpass. The use of white tiles helped brighten what was previously a bland and dark space.

The mural suffered from vandalism over the years, including some physical damage to the fabric of the tiles. A campaign to raise awareness of the historical significance of the murals and to ensure their preservation was launched in 2015. This came to fruition in March 2023 when the tiled mosaic mural was cleaned and restored, before being covered by a more durable protective new mural, with a flat surface, which closely duplicates the tiles which are now concealed underneath.

There are plans to remove the roundabout and replace it with a street-level one, which would entail demolition of the underpasses and presumable removal of the original tiled mural to a more prominent and safe place.

Created: Sun, 19 Mar 2023, Updated: Sun, 19 Mar 2023