A huge street art mural of Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark in the hit series Game of Thrones, has appeared in the Northern Quarter.

The piece, by street artist Akse, has been painted over the course of this afternoon at Stevenson Square.

It depicts a defiant Arya, the middle child of the Stark children, who has been played by 22-year-old Maisie Williams since the show's debut in 2011.

The portrait has appeared in the midst of the final season of the HBO fantasy drama.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Akse, the French-born street artist who has been living and working in Manchester since 1997, was spotted battling today's rain showers in a plastic poncho to complete the piece before rush hour.

He was also behind the Tony Wilson mural that disappeared earlier this month and the portrait of Mark E. Smith painted on the side of a chippy in Prestwich.

Akse has previously added a painting of Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, to a wall in Hulme.

It's all part of outdoor public art project Outhouse MCR, which oversees the street art-rich part of the city centre.

Other significant Outhouse projects have included a David Bowie mural and a swarm of worker bees following the Manchester Arena attack in 2017.

You can see Arya for yourself at Stephenson Square, close to bars and restaurants such as Ply, Flok and Slice.