Hogwarts Express steams into Spalding
A project to improve Spalding Railway Station has led to the creation of two striking new pieces of art.
Spalding based street artists Karl Barfoot and Adam Sadd, who have also transformed other areas of the town with their work, donated their time and expertise to the project.
The new pieces, one featuring the Hogwarts Express from Harry Potter and a train surrounded by tulips under a picturesque sunset, can be found on Platform 2 as a colourful welcome to the station.
Jan Whitbourn, who has been working as part of a group effort to spruce the station up, is delighted with the results, having worked with conservation officers to ensure the work was carried out in the appropriate areas.
She said: “I wanted something different and I wanted it all to be tasteful while depicting something related to the train station.
"I’ve been working with Karl and Adam for several weeks to see how we could create something tasteful that people could relate to, something we could enjoy and make us smile at the station.
"Karl and Adam jumped at the chance once again to show off their talents and their imagination shows through when you see the work that has been created. Once the walls were painted you could see a clear change on how it had brightened up the area from what it was before."
Karl and Adam set to work on their pieces on Sunday and took around five to six hours to finish their creations.
They are both pleased to have been given the opportunity to showcase their work in a prominent location in the town.
Karl, who created a touching memorial for Captain Sir Tom Moore in the town in February, said: "I thought it would be a good opportunity and an amazing idea as the station walls were looking tatty and dull and really needed brightening up.
"We thought it would be a great idea to put some life into the boring walls as people commute to work, something to make them smile.
"It's also great to have more of our work on show in the town and hopefully people will want to come and visit it to see what we've done and take some photos."
Adam added that he hopes his piece will bring back memories for many.
He said: "Karl's Hogwarts Express will make a real attraction and my train with the opened tulip flowers will bring memories of our heritage."
Not only have the artworks been created, but the station has been filled with planters showcasing stunning flowers and netting has been put up to combat an issue with pigeon droppings.
Jan added: "It's been a massive job but the netting has made a big difference.
"The plants will be there forever and the station is looking lovely - it's going to look amazing in the future too as we have more plans in the pipeline."
