Client:
Surrey County Council
Date:
March 2023
The Staines Iron Bridge murals are a colourful welcome to the town that visually celebrate the rich history of Staines-upon-Thames and echo what the town means to local people.
The duo of murals playfully adorn the two sides of the iconic and recently refurbished Iron Bridge, bringing a spectacular moment of colour and context as people enter through this gateway to the town. The mural is filled with local references, from linoleum and mustard to Romans and Lagonda motor cars to name a few.
A key goal of the project was for the mural design to be inspired by ideas from the local community. Alongside Surrey County Council, I developed a series of question boards designed to prompt answers from the public. These boards were used to conduct a week long public realm mind-mapping session, with members of the public writing their thoughts on the boards. We also shared an online version of the questions for anyone else who wanted to engage with the project.
The collection of answers from the community engagement stage were then sorted, identifying key themes and commonalities that could be explored in the design stage. These were then combined with my own visual and contextual research, to create the overall content for the design of the murals.
This mural project was commissioned by Surrey County Council and supported by Spelthorne Borough Council.