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Friday 9 Mar 2018

Make-over for Liverpool's much-loved Bullring mural

Region & Route:

| North West & Central

An iconic Liverpool mural featuring local people was revealed today after improvements made possible by the Great North Rail Project.

Local MP Louise Ellman took part in a ceremony to celebrate the reopening of the community mural, on Trowbridge Street, near Liverpool Lime Street station.

The 30m long mural, which was originally opened by the Queen in 1999, was rejuvenated as part of Network Rail’s Lime Street station upgrade.

The artwork was temporarily removed to allow Network Rail engineers to install a new power supply. This was then re-cast into 10, three metre high curved concrete panels, enabling artist Stephen Broadbent to return and carry out his own updates and retouches.

The mural was built 19 years ago to mark the rehousing of families from the St Andrews Gardens tenement building to brand new homes. It was nicknamed the ‘Bullring’.

Today (9 March) members of the local community were photographed and their silhouettes captured on the mural to be remembered for generations to come.

Artist Stephen Broadbent said: "It was great to re-connect with people captured on the wall nearly 20 years ago, and to hear the enthusiasm they still have for their artwork and a commitment to see it restored just as it was.

“The great thing is that it has been made better than it was, it’s now a beautifully engineered structure that will stand testament to the resilience of a great Liverpool housing community for many decades to come."

Louise Ellman MP for Liverpool Riverside, said: “It is great to see this mural back in the community as major work to improve Lime Street station is under way!”

Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s London North Western route managing director, said: “This community mural lies less than 100 metres from Liverpool Lime Street station, which is undergoing its biggest transformation since the 19th century.

“While our upgrades continue, it is fantastic to see the mural back in its rightful place, within the local community, with a revamp of its own.”

Lime Street’s major transformation is part of a £340m investment in the Liverpool City Region and a key part of the Great North Rail Project.

Vital upgrades to platforms and signalling will boost station capacity making room for more frequent, longer trains, with more space for passengers in preparation for a forecast doubling of passengers during peak times by 2043.

Further work to the station will take place on Sunday 8 April, during Summer (2 June – 29 July) and on Sunday 2 September ahead of completion in October this year.

Picture shows (from left to right): 
Fergal Kiernan, Buckingham Group
Jonathan Moran, Buckingham Group
Chris Hannah, Network Rail
Stephen Broadbent, artist
Sean Hyland, Network Rail
Louise Ellman MP
Mary Mcnally, Bronte Youth Centre