Cool art trail just 45 minutes from Manchester includes ode to Joy Division icon Ian Curtis

A mural of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis has been included in a map of Macclesfield art works. The map has been produced by Cheshire East Council to promote significant points of cultural interest around the town. 

The mural of Manchester’s Ian Curtis was unveiled back in March 2022. Curtis was brought up in Macclesfield and was painted by street artist ‘Akse’. It adorns a building on Mill Street, near to the town’s bus station. 

The Ian Curtis mural in Macclesfield was joined in the region by a similar mural of the singer in Manchester. This was recreated in Port Street after the original was painted over. 

Other works included on the trail included some inspired by wildlife artist Charles Tunnicliffe. These feature on the train station lift tower and on the shop shutters of businesses along Sunderland Street. 

The map will be available to collect from Macclesfield Visitor Information Centre. It is hoped that the trail will help locals and tourists to discover hidden areas of the town. 

Councillor Nick Mannion, vice chair of Cheshire East Council’s economy and growth committee, said: “The installation of these significant artworks has been an outstanding project to be involved with and I am extremely grateful to our colleagues at Avanti West Coast, who made it possible. 

“Working on these projects has been a truly collaborative experience – the input of local residents and the Macclesfield Cultural Forum especially, has been integral to the final works we can all now enjoy. 

Cllr Mannion added: “The map itself is a really clever way of bringing all these wonderful spots to the public attention all over again and will enable visitors to Macclesfield to discover some of the town’s hidden treasures!

“The artworks that have been delivered with this grant funding will encourage people to stay in the town for longer, which in turn will support local businesses and impact positively on the visitor economy. I’m really impressed with how this funding has managed to go so far in terms of the added impact to the presence of visual art in the town – which is now extremely impressive.”