New murals for Easton's Fox Park viaduct

Network Rail has teamed up with Severnside Community Rail Partnership to commission five local artists and artist groups to transform the graffiti underneath Fox Park viaduct on Stapleton Road in Easton, Bristol. They are sponsoring the project including paying the artists, providing the paint and materials and safety equipment.

The project follows a similar community rail art scheme that was supported by Bristol City Council last September, which involved local artists improving the appearance of Stapleton Road station by covering up unsolicited graffiti with a large mural painting.

This is the latest example of a wider Network Rail initiative known as Project Sprint that is tackling graffiti hot spots on the railway across the south west, ensuring the condition and appearance of the railway is graffiti-free and well maintained for generations to come.

Steve Melanophy, Network Rail’s community safety manager, said: “It’s really great to see members of the local community coming together to produce some fantastic artwork to improve the look of the local area”.

Heather Cullimore, Severnside Community Rail Partnership’s partnership manager, said: “It is very exciting to extend the new community artwork at Stapleton Road station by commissioning a set of murals designed to improve the aesthetics of structures at nearby Fox Park.

“Local arts collective Peace of Art and Anna Higgie are involved with both schemes, and four more artists- Silent Hobo, Rob Wheeler, Dave Bane and Zoe Power will be working hard to complete their contribution over the next three weeks. Each of these artists has a connection with Easton and their designs are reflective of the district’s vibrancy and diversity.”