Archive - Tuesday, 25 June 2002


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Artist unveils wall mural

Residents in Headington, Oxford, are celebrating the end of a five-year struggle to brighten up a subway.

Lord Mayor Gill Sanders and artist Korky PaulThe newly-painted mural in the Kennett Road underpass was officially unveiled on Saturday (June 22).

Organisers fought for permission to brighten up the subway, overcame flooding, funded the project themselves and put up with low attendance from young offenders who were supposed to help.

The area has now been immortalised on the walls, with colourful pictures of Headington shops, the John Radcliffe Hospital and Oxford United.

Scenes from CS Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe and JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings have also been added to the walls, as both authors lived in the area.

Residents came up with the mural idea in 1997 following discuss- ions with Oxford Brookes University, which donated paint. The city council agreed to the project last year.

Windmill First School designed the mural, but offenders drafted in to colour the pictures con- tinually failed to show up. Residents celebrated with a Champagne breakfast as illustrator Korky Paul added his trademark character, Winnie the Witch.