A NEW time-travelling community mural heralds next year’s 175th anniversary of the Great Western Railway’s arrival in Swindon.

A concrete post at the end of Cambria Bridge has become a Tardis, and a shimmering stream of time, filled with local history, emerges from its open door to spread along the structure.

Among the images are The Mechanics’ Institute, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a Swindon-built locomotive, a large ‘175’ and Billie Piper – aka Doctor’s assistant Rose Tyler.

Also featured are suffragette Edith New, Railway Works pioneer Daniel Gooch, the Octobus mobile youth project and community TV station Swindon Viewpoint.

There is a large image of Ken White, the Swindon artist who first painted a mural at the bridge more than 30 years ago as part of a series across the town.

A painted plaque says: “Dedicated to Ken White’s Cambria Bridge mural in 1982.”

Mr White visited the site to help celebrate the completion of the new design.

He said: “It’s a very good job – but I didn’t know I was going to be in it.

“They said they wanted me to come for some photographs, and when I came I saw my face there and I couldn’t believe it.”

The new mural was produced by local artists’ group The Visual Drop.

They collaborated with The Railway Kids, a youth club organised by the Mechanics’ Institution Trust, and in partnership with the council.

Trust community development co-ordinator Hannah Parry said: “Local councillors came to us back in August last year as the bridge wall was due to be re-rendered and asked us if we could help create a new community mural there.

“We’ve worked with local artists on various projects over the years, so we knew this was something we could help with.” The concept for the design grew from Ken White’s original mural, which also featured a Tardis at one end.

Hannah said: “When we were talking about the project, the main thing everyone asked was whether we could paint the Tardis back there.

“The artists then came up with the idea of using the theme of Doctor Who and time travel to tell the story of Swindon through time.”

 

See our picture gallery of Ken White's mural

www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/picture_galleries/mural_ken_white/