Blackburn's role in creating the 'Western' film genre is to be celebrated with an eye-catching new piece of public art in the historic Northgate Conservation Area.

The installation will mark the fact the first film of this genre was made by pioneering movie makers Mitchell and Kenyon in the town.

The artwork of 40 pewter arrows will be installed on the gable end of the terraced block in Northgate in the town centre where the cinema pioneers worked in the late 1890s and early 1900s.

It will celebrate the fact that the world’s first Western film - ‘Kidnapping by Indians’ - was created on the premises.

In 1994 an extraordinary archive of Edwardian films was discovered in the basement of a shop in Northgate.

While studying them in 2019, critically-acclaimed artist and writer, Jamie Holman discovered the short clip of ‘Kidnapping by Indians’ and the date on the film indicated that it was the world’s first Western.

The Western is a genre of fiction set in the old American frontier, often featuring cowboys, outlaws and Native Americans as principal characters.

Now Uncultured Creatives has submitted a planning application for the artwork on the wall of 34 Northgate.

Mr Holman, who chairs The National Festival of Making, said: "We have a rich and diverse cultural heritage in Blackburn with Darwen which includes the founding of the football league, mill poetry, painting and music.

"We knew that Mitchell and Kenyon were important filmmakers, but we are proud to commemorate that the world’s first Western was made here in the town centre.

"It’s an extraordinary story that I am proud to tell on their behalf."

The firm, one of the largest British film companies in the 1900s, had two premises in the Blackburn town centre – 21 King Street and 40 Northgate.

The block has recently undergone a shop front transformation as part of the Blakey Moor Townscape Heritage Project.

It’s believed they showed their first film at the shop in Northgate with the silent, black and white reel capturing a bustling Blackburn Market.

Cllr Phil Riley, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "What a huge surprise that the first-ever Western was filmed right here in Blackburn.

"The backstory is fascinating too, with the black and white film featuring mill workers in 1899. This was the starting point of what would become a key Hollywood genre.

"Jamie has worked incredibly hard to highlight the importance of Mitchell and Kenyon and I’m looking forward to seeing this new artwork installed.

"It’ll be a lasting feature and a real talking point in the town."

The 40 pewter arrows have been cast by community groups and volunteers with help from Jamie and specialist artist, Ella Mackintosh.

A heritage statement submitted with the application says: "The work is intended to be visible and eye-catching, yet in good proportion and complementary to the size and scale of the historic building and its setting."