Free Alan Boyson exhibition opens in Stockport: what residents need to know

A new free exhibition at Stockroom in Stockport will invite residents to look again at one of the town’s most familiar pieces of public art: Alan Boyson’s concrete screens at Merseyway Shopping Centre.

The Marvel from Marple: Alan Boyson Exhibition opens on Thursday 18 June at Stockroom, the town-centre community space run with Stockport Council. A start time has not been listed in the source information. Entry is free and the exhibition is described as drop-in, with art lovers, local residents, families and anyone curious about Stockport’s civic landmarks among the likely audience.

Boyson, a Stockport-born sculptor, became known for bold public artworks placed in everyday civic settings. In Stockport, his geometric concrete screens at Merseyway Shopping Centre, commissioned by the Co-operative Society, remain among his best-known works.

Stockroom hosts a first survey of Boyson’s work

The exhibition is led by artist Esther Johnson, who has been researching Boyson’s work since 2017 through her Ships in the Sky project. Johnson’s research began from Boyson’s work in Hull, including the Three Ships mural, and has grown into a wider look at how his public art sits within town centres and local memory.

At Stockroom, The Marvel from Marple will bring together printed tiles, photographs and small Boyson ceramics loaned from private collections. It will also include material from the Ships in the Sky collection, including oral histories and objects gathered by Johnson.

One local strand is especially direct: original architectural plans for Merseyway car park by Marple-born Co-op architect E.P. Andrew, who was a childhood friend of Boyson, will be shown as part of the exhibition. That connection places the Merseyway screens not just as a design feature, but as part of a wider story about Stockport, Marple and the role of public art in post-war civic spaces.

Johnson has also made a multi-screen film exploring Boyson’s work and the links between public art, communities, places and personal memories.

Merseyway’s concrete screens get a closer look

For many people in Stockport, the Merseyway screens are part of the backdrop of daily life rather than something viewed as a gallery object. The exhibition asks visitors to slow down and look at them as deliberate artwork: geometric, modular and tied to a period when organisations commissioned artists to bring ambitious design into public places.

Cllr Dan Oliver, the Cabinet Member responsible for Culture, said Boyson’s work is part of Stockport’s fabric, even when people do not always realise it. He described the exhibition as a chance to explore the creativity around the town, take part in hands-on activities and discover the stories behind one of Stockport’s most recognisable landmarks.

Johnson said she was struck, during her research, by the scale of the Merseyway concrete screens and Boyson’s use of abstraction and repetition. She described both the Three Ships mural in Hull and the Merseyway screens in Stockport as works woven into their civic centres and connected to local identity.

Workshops, talks and guided walks

The exhibition is not only built around display cases and archive material. Visitors will also be able to take part in hands-on activities and workshops, including tile workshops and screen printing.

Artist talks and guided walks with the modernist are also listed as part of the programme. The source information does not give individual session times, booking requirements or a full programme schedule, so visitors should treat the exhibition opening date and drop-in status as the confirmed practical details for now.

Stockroom itself is described as a community space in the heart of Stockport, designed for people to explore, get creative, read, meet friends or discover something new. Since opening in May 2025, it has welcomed one million visits.

Visiting details for The Marvel from Marple

The exhibition is funded by the Henry Moore Foundation and developed in partnership with Stockport Council and Sheffield Hallam University, where Esther Johnson is Professor of Film and Media Arts in the Art, Design and Media Research Centre.

Source: Stockport Council

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This preview is based on the published Stockport Council event notice and keeps unlisted details, such as start time and end date, clearly marked as unavailable.

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Stockport Council

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Stockport

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2026-06-04 19:10

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Alan BoysonEsther JohnsonDan Oliver

#Alan Boyson#Esther Johnson#Merseyway Shopping Centre#Public Art#Stockport#Stockroom#The Marvel from Marple

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