AN ART teacher is hoping to find the artist who painted a mural on a hidden wall at a school.

Linda O’Sullivan, lead teacher of art at King’s School in High Street, Portslade, discovered a hidden gem in her art class room one day when she was preparing the room for inspections.

While sorting out the studio she removed a board on the wall.

Behind it she found a vibrant, colourful painting showing the British coronation in Trafalgar Square, London, with the date 1953 scribbled next to it.

She said: “It’s painted directly onto the wall and I think it was most likely painted by some former pupils at the school.

“There’s a slight chance that the former pupils could still be living in Brighton or Hove or at least nearby and it would be great to try and reunite the painting with the painters, to find out when exactly it might have been done.”

The painting shows crowds of people in Trafalgar Square in London to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953.

Linda, 50, from Hove, said the building has been a school since around the time of the First World War.

She said: “With coronation year 1953 written on it I am guessing it has been there since then. From looking at it I would definitely say it has been done a while ago because it’s a little bit faded.

“I spoke to Sharon Durham who worked in Portslade Aldridge Community Academy sixth form as head of art and she said it was in The Argus about 15 years ago when they uncovered it then.

“But they never traced who did the painting.

“We found some more Egyptian style paintings in the art corridor which were most likely done at the same time.

“It would be good to find out a bit more about them so if anyone has anymore information that would be great.”

Linda said the school is going to be moving premises and will be based in Hangleton.

She said: “I am not sure what will happen to the building.

“The wall that the painting is on looks a bit tatty around the edges so they might redecorate the whole place and paint over the painting which would be a shame. I just think it would be really great to try and find out who did this painting before there’s a chance it may be lost.”

Linda said the pupils she teaches at the school, aged 11 to 16, found the mural really interesting to look at.