A dingy subway underneath a South Bristol train station has been smartened up with two new colourful murals – thanks in part to money paid to the community by the firms who have redeveloped the area around it.
The two new murals have been painted by local artists and Upfest favourites Paul Roberts – aka Paul Monsters – and Lucas Antics. They are part of the way a fraction of the money from the Community Infrastructure Levy from the Bedminster Green regeneration has been spent.
The new murals were unveiled today, Monday, January 20, in the subway underneath Bedminster station, in a partnership project between Bedminster’s own Upfest and the Severnside Community Rail Partnership. The project secured the money from the council’s CIL windfall, and from GWR, to brighten up the otherwise dark and dingy tunnel.
“I’ve loved working in Bedminster for the last couple of weeks,” said Alex Lucas, from Lucas Antics. “The underpass is a space that people use every day, so being able to brighten it up with a mural that reflects both the history and the future of this community is an incredible opportunity. The brief called for an artwork that would create a welcoming and vibrant gateway to Bedminster, and we’ve included local wildlife, familiar landmarks, and the spirit of togetherness in our designs. I hope our work adds a little bit of joy and inspiration to everyone who comes through here,” she added.
The station is in the Windmill Hill ward, and both local councillors were involved in bringing the project together. “Ed Plowden and I were pleased to secure contributions from local developers for these murals, so as to improve the station experience,” said Cllr Lisa Stone (Green, Windmill Hill). “It has been a pleasure to improve the local station in partnership with the rail industry and working locally with Upfest. We were impressed with the quality and quantity of designs that we had to choose from, and are confident that the neighbouring community will be proud of them,” she added.
There had been artwork in the underpass that was created years ago by pupils at Victoria Park – it was described as having ‘outlasted its shelf life’, and has now been returned to the school to go on display there.
“The murals come as part of a wider effort to improve the local environment in Bedminster, following extensive consultation with the community,” said a spokesperson for the project. “Friends of Bedminster Station have long called for an enhancement to the underpass which now reflects the vibrant, evolving character of the neighbourhood. Previous artwork created by Victoria Park Primary School, which had outlasted its shelf life at the station, was returned to be showcased on the school grounds,” she added.
Station manager for GWR, Alex Hills, added: “We’re delighted to support this project and the artwork by Lucas Antics and Paul has helped transform the underpass at Bedminster station and given it a striking uplift. I’d encourage people to take a trip down to the station to take a look for themselves.”