Underpass mural depicts history of first New Town

A new mural depicting the history of Stevenage has been unveiled in one of its underpasses.

The artwork has been paid for by the previous government's £37.5m Towns Fund, awarded to the Hertfordshire town in the 2021 budget.

Sish Lane, a key travel route between the old and new town of Stevenage, has been transformed after artists studied old photographs and archives to create the artwork.

Artist Szylk Wane, of designers MurWalls, said: "It's not only brightening our town but it's making these underpasses a safer place to walk through."

The Towns Fund money was designed to help "level up" towns and aid recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

People living in Stevenage were asked to share their memories for the finished piece, which shows scenes from both the Old and New Towns along with key moments from its history, including the visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1959.

It is the latest underpass to be improved as part of a collaboration between Stevenage Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council, designed to make the 44 km (27.3 miles) of cycleways around the town safer.

The Labour leader of the borough council, Richard Henry, said the mural included "the roundabout which depicts the annual Charter Fayre, which has been running in Stevenage for hundreds of years, and also buildings that were in existence like the Cromwell Hotel which is around the Cenotaph".

"As you go towards the new town, it depicts some of the businesses that came up in the developing of that area," he said.

Conservative Phil Bibby, executive member for Highways and Transport at Hertfordshire County Council, said: "I am delighted with the result here and hope it will encourage more people to walk, wheel and cycle, contributing to our vision for a cleaner, greener, healthier Hertfordshire."

Hertfordshire-based street artists MurWalls designed and painted the underpass - one of their artists is Szylk Wane.

She told the BBC: "I based everything on old photographs that we got from the Stevenage museum.

"So my favourite bit would be the Cromwell Hotel because that has not changed much over the years."

She added: "I'm immensely proud and so happy that Stevenage is onboard with recognising the good sides of street art and what we do for the community."

Adrian Hawkins, from the Stevenage Development Board, which bid successfully for the Towns Fund money, said: "This is all about explaining to people what the community looks like and its history."

Mr Hawkins added that LED lighting had been installed in the underpasses.

"We've put artwork on the walls, which is graffiti-free, and we would like to see residents using the cycle ways," he said.

"We'd like these to become like little heritage spots around the town that they will want to go and have a look at."

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