Network Rail and South Western Railway (SWR) have unveiled a new mural at London Waterloo station celebrating two centuries of railway romance.

Artist Patricio Forrester created the ‘200 Years of Romance’ artwork. Patricio is the founder of Artmongers, an enterprise which is known for composing public murals.

Workers at SWR and Network Rail submitted images to the mural creators that they thought offered a representation of the best of the railway. Local community rail groups also had the opportunity to contribute.

Contributions to the project include:

• a cake celebrating Brockenhurst station’s 178th birthday this year
• a fond farewell to the Island Line’s 1938 London Underground trains, which retired from service in 2021
• Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Salisbury station during her Diamond Jubilee in 2012
• a moment of pride from London Waterloo’s 175th anniversary celebrations in 2023

Historian and former railway worker Mike Lamport, who is a member of the Railway 200 Steering Group, took part in the launch of the mural.

Mike can trace a family connection to London Waterloo station all the way back to the 1850s. His great-grandfather, Matthew, worked as a London & South Railway guard.

Mike’s son Andrew now works as a guard at SWR.

Patricio travelled on the SWR network, visiting stations including London Waterloo in search of inspiration for the mural.

The mural is located near Exit 3. It comprises around 40 images.

Approximately 200 people were involved in putting the collection of images together. Between them, they document special moments connected to the railway, including its workers, volunteers and local groups.

“The three aspects integral to the design of the mural were Monumental, Industrial, Perspective. The joining of two tracks, the vanishing point on the platform as the train passes through the station. London Waterloo is monumental and industrious just like a cathedral. This gave me the idea to showcase the photos as stained glass; the photos have been designed to look translucent to let the light through, much like stained glass.”

Artist and founder of Artmongers, Patricio Forrester