Penfold’s “Torn but Not Broken”: The Lost Mural That Sparked a Street’s Revival — and the Ultra-Rare Print That Survives

In the early days of Victoria Road’s cultural reawakening, long before New Brighton’s mural trail became a destination, one artwork stood out as a turning point. High above Rockpoint Records, stretching across the façade in a blaze of colour, Mr Penfold painted Torn but Not Broken — a mural defined by its abstract, pattern-rich surfaces, sliced open with his signature “torn layer” effect.

It didn’t just brighten the street.
It signalled something bigger.
It marked the moment Victoria Road began shifting from forgotten high street to creative quarter.

The Mural: Torn Layers, New Identity

Penfold’s style has always walked a line between street art, graphic design and modernist abstraction. But in Torn but Not Broken, he pushed that language into a new visual story.

Bright shapes and patterns collided and overlapped.
The façade appeared ripped back, revealing imagined layers beneath.
The piece felt both damaged and resilient — exactly what the title suggested.

For many in New Brighton, this mural became a symbolic statement at the time: the street may have been worn down, but it wasn’t finished. Creativity was tearing through the old surface, and the place was beginning to reinvent itself.

For a brief period, Torn but Not Broken became one of Victoria Road’s most photographed landmarks.

Today, the mural no longer exists. The building has changed, the façade replaced, the artwork now part of the street’s history rather than its present. But one fragment of that moment still survives — and it is unbelievably rare.

Rockpoint Forms (2020): A One-of-Six Collector’s Edition

In 2020, as Penfold was developing the mural’s visual language, he created a short experimental series of prints titled Rockpoint Forms. These were not mass-market reproductions. They were artist-made abstractions drawn from the same shapes, patterns and torn-layer motifs that informed Torn but Not Broken.

Only six prints were produced.
All on heavy frosted art paper.
All signed and numbered.
No reprints. No second run. No commercial editions.

And the piece now being released is Edition 1/6 — the first in the series.

Collectors understand what that means. Small editions increase value; micro-editions (under 10) are already extremely rare. But an edition of six, tied to a now-lost landmark mural, is close to unheard of — especially from an artist with Penfold’s international standing.

The frosted paper gives the surface a diffused glow, softening and deepening the colours. The geometry feels almost sculptural. It’s a piece that stands out on a wall even before you explain the story behind it.

But the story is what makes it priceless.

Why This Print Matters to New Brighton

Rockpoint Forms 1/6 isn’t just art. It’s an artefact.

• It is directly connected to Torn but Not Broken, one of the earliest artworks to define Victoria Road’s creative identity.

• It represents a pivotal moment in New Brighton’s cultural resurgence — a visual declaration that the street was rebuilding itself through creativity.

• It preserves the aesthetic DNA of a mural that can no longer be seen.

• And its sale helps fund New Brighton Creative Futures, enabling the next generation of murals, workshops and public artworks.

Very few towns get the chance to own a piece of their own creative history. Fewer still get to own one of only six in existence.

About Penfold

Mr Penfold (Tim Gresham) is one of the UK’s most distinctive contemporary street artists. His work blends:

• abstract geometry

• sharp colour contrasts

• torn-layer collage

• mid-century graphic influences

• playful, rhythmic pattern

His murals and prints have appeared across Europe, the US and Asia, and he remains a respected figure in both the street art and illustration worlds. Penfold’s New Brighton mural was a perfect example of his ability to inject energy into architecture — transforming blank surfaces into graphic narratives.

Torn but Not Broken carried his trademark: bold optimism hidden inside deconstructed form. A perfect fit for a street clawing its way back to life.

Purchase Details

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Penfold Limited Edition Print – Rockpoint Forms (2020), 1 of 6

£500.00

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Penfold – Rockpoint Forms (2020)
Edition: 1/6
Medium: Heavy frosted art paper
Size: Approx. 40 × 60 cm (16 × 24 inches)
Price: £500
Shipping available, or local collection in New Brighton.

To purchase: contact me directly or use the checkout link on the website — whichever you prefer.

This is one of the rarest works we’ve ever released. A surviving heirloom from the mural that helped kickstart Victoria Road’s transformation. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.