A huge thank you to everyone who joined the
Bleeding Heart Group and
Hatton Garden BID on Thursday 24th May for the unveiling of Bleeding Art - a one-off mural commissioned for
Clerkenwell Design Week 2018 and live painted during the three-day festival.
Created by renowned street artist
ATMA (who also directed Bleeding, our 2017 commission for Clerkenwell), the mural was inspired by the grisly murder of Lady Elizabeth Hatton, the second wife of Sir William Hatton, whose family once owned the area around Hatton Garden. Urban legend says her body was found in the courtyard on 27th January 1646, “torn limb from limb, but with her heart still pumping blood.” Speaking at the unveiling Robyn Wilson, co-owner of the Bleeding Heart Group, told guests that Lady Hatton is rumoured to return each January to scrub her blood from the cobbles. Neither Robyn nor co-owner Robert have seen her as yet, but maybe they’ll be lucky next year – their 36th in residence in Bleeding Heart Yard.
BID Chairman, Gary Williams of
Mastermelt, opened the event with a brief introduction to the work Hatton Garden BID is doing to improve the area for local businesses, residents and visitors. Robyn followed this with a vivid retelling of the last night of Lady Hatton’s colourful life, before ATMA unveiled his mural as guests fittingly sipped Bloody Marys, courtesy of
Amathus.
Speaking about Bleeding Art ATMA, who lives and works in the area, said, “The history of Bleeding Heart Yard is pretty gruesome, but also poetic. I’ve tried to capture both aspects of Lady Elizabeth’s story in this piece. It’s been hard work, but I’ve loved this project from beginning to end, celebrating the area’s past and being part of it’s creative future.”
See Bleeding Art take shape here…
“Of poor Lady Hatton, it's needless to say,
No traces have ever been found to this day,
Or the terrible dancer who whisk'd her away;
But out in the court-yard — and just in that part
Where the pump stands — lay bleeding a LARGE HUMAN HEART!”
The Ingoldsby Legends
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