North East Statues

Restored by John Barwick Sr. and Jr., 1995

In an attempt to preserve Middlesbrough’s old painted advertisements, Cleveland Arts and City Challenge began a scheme to restore them in the mid-90s. One of the beneficiaries of this was the distinctive Pouf Cockroach Powder mural on the corner of Saltwells Road and Breckon Hill Road.

In a nice bit of historical continuity, it was the original painter John Barwick – along with his namesake son – who was able to repaint his youthful work.

Barwick Senior originally painted the sign as a teenage apprentice back in 1947. Serendipitously, when they asked him to restore it in 1995, Cleveland Arts were unaware that he’d painted the earlier version.

While the Pouf brand may have been outlived by the roaches, its sign remains as a monument to the many brave insects who fell in the never-ending war between man and beast.