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Charlotte Gerrard at the mural |
‘Save bridge mural’ plea from artist
Graffiti threat to children’s work
AN artist has called for a fading mural on a bridge in West Hampstead to be rescued before it deteriorates beyond repair.
Charlotte Gerrard painted Mill Lane bridge with the help of schoolchildren in 2000.
Network Rail, which owns the bridge, gave a £2,000 grant for the work, but six years on she says the mural has been neglected by the rail company and as a result is fading fast.
Mrs Gerrard, 36, artist-in-residence at West Hampstead Community Centre in Mill Lane, said: “Bridges are routinely repainted every four to five years. Because this one’s muralled it hasn’t been painted. So we’ve saved Network Rail money because it hasn’t had to be freshened up.”
Her campaign for cash has won support from Fortune Green Lib Dem councillor Flick Rea, who said: “It’s a nice mural and people don’t want to see it fall into disrepair. I’d like it to not fall to bits and be covered in graffiti.”
One of the 74 children who painted the bridge, Gemma Watson, 9, died from acute appendicitis only months after it was finished.
Mrs Gerrard said: “She died on the way to hospital. It’s so sad. Hers was the only Christmas tree on the bridge – we should give respect to the work she did.”
She has considered asking a new team of children to cover the bridge with their own designs, but feels Gemma’s tree should be preserved.
So, instead, she is appealing to the children who painted it originally to get in touch with her in the hope they can re-create the magic of that summer.
She wants Network Rail to help with the £2,000 cost of restoring the mural.
Mrs Gerrard said: “They haven’t said ‘no’ but they’re sitting on the money.
“A mural makes art accessible to everybody. Most countries in Europe have a lot more public art and we should live in a more colourful environment.”
Mrs Gerrard has had work commissioned by TV presenter June Sarpong and members of the Verve band. An exhibition of her work begins tomorrow (Friday) in Queen’s Park.
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