Swindon underpass mural features crocodile and dragons

A large historical mural - involving a crocodile and cars - has been painted in an underpass.

The story of the Stratton area in Swindon is narrated in artwork by local artist Sarah Harris.

The parish council commissioned it after graffiti appeared in the hope it would deter taggers in future.

Ms Harris said: "They wanted me to paint a mural to cover the history right back from Roman times."

She told BBC Radio Wiltshire that Stratton has its own identity, even though "we've been swallowed up by Swindon over over time".

Encompassing so much history, the mural in the Greenbridge underpass starts with a Roman soldier, as Stratton village had a Roman road running through.

The crocodile dressed in a scarf comes from an old local story. Ms Harris said there was once a crocodile "spotted" in the village.

"But nobody really knew what a crocodile looked like in those days," she explained.

"They all armed themselves and ran down to fight this fierce monster and protect the village. It turned out it was a woman's scarf in a ditch. Not a crocodile."

St Margaret is featured as well, as part of the area is called Stratton St Margaret.

Ms Harris said legend has it that she was eaten by a dragon. "The dragon either spat her out, depending on the version of the story you read. Or she fought her way out of the dragon's belly with a cross."

Swindon's Arkell's brewery is represented by a dray horse pulling barrels. More recent scenes include a Mini car and a Honda.

The final section is of the skate park, which opened in 2023.

Ms Harris started painting the mural in August 2023 and did much of it in her spare time around her day job. "A lot of people have said they actually enjoy walking through the underpass now," she said.

She said she hopes it will be left for people to enjoy as "there's an etiquette to street art and graffiti that people tend to not tag over murals.

"There is no guarantee it'll be left alone forever. But if it does get damaged in any way, I only live three doors down," she said.

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