Media centre

Friday 31 Mar 2017

Railway bridge mural brightens up Ladywell

Region & Route:

| Southern

A spectacular new mural welcoming people to the Ladywell area of Lewisham has been completed on Friday (31 March) thanks to a partnership involving Network Rail, Lewisham Council and local residents.

The idea for the mural under the railway bridge at Ellerdale Street came from Ladywell resident Joe O’Donnell, who wanted to tackle graffiti in the area through public art. Joe approached Network Rail, who were able to grant a licence for the mural. Funding came from Lewisham Council’s Ladywell Assembly.

Award winning artists from the Bread Collective, a network of artists specialising in illustrative typography and murals, were commissioned to do the work.

Eddie Burton, customer service manager at Network Rail, said:

“The wall looks great and I’m glad we could help. We know graffiti can be a real issue in some areas, so we’re always open to creative ways to make our bridges look better and more welcoming for our neighbours. Fair play to Joe, he went about this in the right way and the result is fantastic. I’d encourage artists who would like to work with us to get in touch and talk to us about their ideas.”

Local resident, Joe O’Donnell, said:

“This looks great. It will help tackle graffiti and helps create a sense of pride in the area.  Thank you to Network Rail for giving permission, and to the Ladywell assembly for providing funding, not to forget the artists who have done an amazing job. I hope it will inspire more public art in Lewisham.”

Ladywell ward councillor, Bill Brown, said:

“This is a great example of the local community coming together and getting involved in participatory democracy. They decided to use funding provided by the Council to do something to brighten up their area and, at the same time, show that Ladywell welcomes everybody – just like the borough does. I’d like to thank Network Rail for their support in making this happen.”