A RARE work by a renowned English painter could remain hidden beneath the walls of a Colwyn Bay landmark.
An Art Deco mural painted by artist, designer, illustrator and engraver Eric Ravilious could stay beneath layers of plasterwork and cladding in the tea rooms of the Victoria Pier.
Known for his modernist landscapes of the South Downs, as well as the iconic alphabet print of a mug for Wedgwood, which he designed in 1937, Ravilious painted the mural during the 1930s after a commission from the pier's architect Professor Adshead. His work was helped by the professor's daughter Mary Adshead.
He worked as a war artist in World War II, receiving a commission as a Captain in the Royal Marines, but was killed in 1942 aged 39 while accompanying a Royal Air Force mission off Iceland.
Ravilious painted another two murals in addition to his piece at Colwyn Bay - one at Morley College, London, in 1930 which was lost when the college was bombed in October 1940, and a second painted at the Midland Hotel, Morecambe, in 1933, which degraded over the next two years due to the quality of the plaster.
Penny Davies, chair of the Pier Pressure group, said the mural was "unique" and needed saving.
She said: "It would be good to have it restored, and it would need specialist treatment - but they've done it in pyramids, so why not the pier?"
Robin Ravilious, the wife of Eric's son James Ravilious, said it would have been "great" if the Colwyn Bay mural had survived all these years, as it would be the only surviving example of the artist's mural work.
Mrs Ravilious said: "It would be great if one did. But, I can't say - not knowing quite what his method was - if it was rescuable or not."
She added: "People would get very excited if it were renovated."
A major exhibition of his work was held at the Imperial War Museum in 2004, and a permanent exhibition of his work is on show at the Towner Gallery, Eastbourne.