Tranmere Trilogy mural: Johnny King, Les Parry & Danny Holmes. Street art by Paul Curtis
A TRANMERE TRIO
Johnny King, Les Parry and Danny Holmes.
A collaboration with Tranmere Rovers Supporters Trust Ltd
Painted in summer 2022 by Paul Curtis, the street art mural is located in Home Farm Road in Woodchurch, Wirral. This mural is particularly poignant. This was the last mural Paul worked on with Ben Harrison (who was Chairman of the Tranmere Rovers Supporters Trust). Ben sadly passed away in August 2023. He backed Paul in painting 18 TRFC murals and was a good man who did so much selfless work for Tranmere and charities. Rest in peace Ben.
The painting celebrate 3 Tranmere Rovers figures, namely:
Johnny King: the most successful manager Prenton Park has ever known. A football manager who built exciting and successful football teams and won the hearts as well as the respect and admiration of supporters.
The love affair lasted long after King reluctantly stepped aside for the last time in 1996. In two spells in charge of the team, won three promotions and in the second - 1987 to 1996 - took the club from the old Fourth Division to hammer on the door of the Premier League.
In his own words he took the modest Wirral club "on a rocket ride to the moon". For many players and supporters, it was the ride of a lifetime.
Les Parry physiotherapist and former manager of Tranmere Rovers Football Club from October 2009 until March 2012.
Parry worked with Tranmere Rovers as physiotherapist since 1991 before succeeding John Barnes in the managerial position at Tranmere. He kept his former job during his first season as manager. Having only recruited on caretaker basis, he guided the club to five wins and three draws, earning him a permanent contract on 16 December 2009. Later that season, he staved off relegation from the League One.
After finishing 18th in the 2010-11 campaign, his first full season in charge, Parry was awarded the Liverpool Echo Special Award for Outstanding Service to Sport. In the same season, Parry completed the amazing feat of attending 1001 consecutive First Team matches a feat made more remarkable by the fact that for more than 900 of those matches when he was physio, he wore nothing more than tee-shirt and shorts, even on the coldest of evenings.
Danny Holmes was born in Birkenhead, Merseyside. He began his career with Tranmere Rovers, the team he supports, joining the club at the age of seven. He originally played as a forward but eventually became a defender. Having captained the youth and reserve teams,[citation needed] he signed his first professional in July 2007, shortly before the 2007–08 season.
Thanks to Sharon for volunteering the side of her house.
Paul Curtis is a Liverpool-based artist specialising in street art and large murals. His artwork was created in 2017 and since then, he has created more than 200 public pieces, largely in Liverpool and Wirral, but also in locations across the UK.
He wasn't always an artist, it was a redundancy in 2015 and an extended period of unemployment that led to him picking up his brushes. He was a geologist in the oil industry for 15 years and holds an MSC in Petroleum Geoscience from the University of Aberdeen in 2001 and a BSc in Geology and Physical Geography for the University of Liverpool. He left Liverpool in 2000 to live in Aberdeen for 10 years and then moved to London for 5 years. He moved back to Liverpool in 2016.
www.paulcurtisartwork.com
@PaulCurtisArtwork
www.tranmererovers.co.uk
Music: Bensound.com