Woolston pub The Victoria in Southampton gets Spitfire mural

Shirley Booth, 56, landlady of 25 years, said she felt Woolston was missing a tribute recognising the area's hand in the production of the Second World War plane.

The prototype was designed by R J Mitchell and first flew Southampton Airport on March 5, 1936.

More than 8,000 Spitfires were built at the Supermarine factory in Woolston, and Shirley said that even today she still hears residents talk about their ties to the Spitfire production.

She said: “Those workers in the factory that helped to build the Spitfire, they drank in The Victoria – we have so many local people here with so much history.

“Only a few weeks ago a young lad came into the pub took a look at one of the old photos and pointed out his grandad.

More than 8,000 Spitfires were produced in Woolston (Image: NQ)

“We should have always had something to commemorate the Spitfire in Woolston – a lot of Woolston folk put a lot of hard work into making sure we had a war-winning plane and that is something to be celebrated.

“My father was a Regimental Sergeant Major, and we sponsor the Veterans Society, so it really means the world to us to have this right outside the door.”

Shirely said she had seen the work of 50-year-old Southampton artist Slam Daniels on the Old Farmhouse pub in Mount Pleasant Road and had been after one of his murals for years.

Slam, who was a Woolston resident of seven years, said: “The Spitfire has always been special to me and something I have always wanted to paint.

Slam based his deign from a small picture of a Spitfire he found online (Image: Submitted)“When Shirley told me she wanted a mural I was so pleased that she wanted a Spitfire - and so did I. Some paints can be a little laborious but this one I absolutely loved painting.

Slam has been painting since falling in love with graffiti in his youth. He has been painting murals around the county since 1987. The painting took him five days to finish.