Photo credit | Johnnie Alexander
About the mural
The 'Lace and Town Crest' mural is located at 133 Main Street, beside Lady Flora’s Institute in Newmilns.
Lady Flora’s, a listed building built between 1875 and 1877, was originally a school for girls and is located in the centre of the former lace town of Newmilns, East Ayrshire.
This development comprises of 20 one-bedroom flats, 5 two-bedroom flats, and 3 three-bedroom flats.
The mural celebrates the town's lace making heritage and was completed in August 2025.
Due to the town being famed for Madras Lace, it was fitting to select a heritage lace design for the mural. It is situated near Lady Flora’s sheltered housing. This mural also features the town crest with the motto 'Weave Truth with Trust'.
Funding for the mural was secured by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The mural is part of the Love Newmilns walking trail. For more information download the Love Newmilns Heritage app.
Thank you to Johnnie Alexander of the Newmilns Heritage Group for the above photo.
About Newmilns Regeneration Association
Constituted in 2014, Newmilns Regeneration Association (NRA) is an East Ayrshire based charity benefiting the residents, businesses, and groups of Newmilns and Greenholm, working with other groups in the town to carry forward the second Newmilns and Greenholm Community Action Plan.
NRA's charitable purposes also relate to supporting local businesses where possible and the advancement of arts and culture, so there was only ever one clear choice.
You can find out more about NRA on the Love Newmilns website.
About the artists
NRA feel privileged that Frank Carty and his wife Mandy, the artists who created the murals, are local to Newmilns and had been keen for some time to create murals to be featured in their hometown.
Frank and Mandy are well known and respected in Newmilns, as they also work with the local school, as such, they are artists the community would get behind.
The commissioning process
The Newmilns Regeneration Association were keen to employ a local mural artist to carry out the work, as the overall heritage project is a celebration of the town’s history and its people.
Local artists Frank and Mandy Carty of Artisan Artworks were appointed as the artists to carry out two murals on two prominent sites within Newmilns; the gable end near Lady Flora’s Institute, and the gable wall of The Loudoun Arms on Castle Street, Newmilns.
Frank and Mandy Carty were selected by the NRA, and the heritage group due to their passion for their hometown, presenting the most economical quote, and professional standard of work. Above all, selecting Frank and Mandy is in line with the NRA’s purposes to advance art and culture within Newmilns and Greenholm.
The murals feature as part of a heritage walk to encourage visitors from out with the Irvine Valley to explore and engage with the Valley’s unique heritage.
Community feedback
NRA sought advice from other organisations within a 30-mile radius of Newmilns who have implemented murals within their towns. The feedback received conveyed that they have become a talking point, and key social media moments sparked pride and intrigue.
Very few organisations have seen issues with graffiti or littering around mural sites. They are the most graphic and visible way to celebrate what a town is famed for, and what is important to local residents.
Visit the links below for information on the other organisations involved with the mural:
Artisan Artworks is Scotland's leading art studio for hand painted murals, traditional shop fronted signage and show-stopping promotional artwork.
You can also visit NRA’s Facebook page to keep up-to-date with their latest developments.
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