‘Happy Christmas Bridge’ Repainted for Holidays
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2024
Graffiti on an “iconic” bridge in Sandhurst, England, recently got a makeover, just in time for the upcoming holiday. The local landmark was originally painted in 1967 by several college students, wishing residents a “Happy Christmas” in red and white paint.
Back in February, a Bracknell Forest councilor suggested repainting the rail structure. “I love the memory of coming back in the car and seeing the Happy Christmas Bridge, and it was that feeling of coming home,” said Guy Gillbe.
A Facebook post at the time suggesting its restoration reportedly gained hundreds of likes and supporters. Network Rail, the owner of the bridge, then said it was “exploring the possibility” of granting permission to repaint.
As a result, Network Rail collaborated with the Sandhurst Town Council to restore the graffiti to its original form.
"It's just such a landmark,” said Councilor Nicky Coppins. “I agree that graffiti isn’t something we normally want to promote, but locally this has been such an iconic scene that it was great to get it restored.”
“We’re safety critical and we need to spend out money on running trains and making them safe rather than doing artwork, but because this was a safety scheme anyway, because we worked on the bridge warning signs, it was possible to do that,” said a Network Rail spokesperson.
Now, the council is reportedly working with the railway to see if the other side of the bridge, which features the same phrase, can get the same makeover.
Sandhurst local Harriet Fraser told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that her uncle Martin Malorie was one of the seven college students who first painted the bridge.
“They were at a party at the time. They wheeled a piano from the house up to the bridge and used it to climb up. Martin lent over and painted it upside down,” she said, adding that her uncles and friends had since “spoken about that night with howls of laughter.”
Each version of the story told reportedly came with its own elaborate details, becoming a legend for the community.
“They seem to think it was a grand piano. One of my uncles, Tim, was with them,” Fraser continued. “He said when they had finished painting the bridge they wheeled the piano down to Yateley to the Hampshire-Berkshire border, and the Hampshire police came and pushed the piano back into Berkshire.”
Fraser said the landmark is often used when giving directions in the town and she was “really pleased” to see it repainted.
“It’s a really happy message throughout the year,” she said.
The original graffiti was then painted over by Network Rail but in 1988; however, Ian Langston and his friend repainted it shortly after.
Langston explained that he was discussing the landmark at the New Inn, now known as the Village Inn pub.
“The pub regulars all bet my friend and I one pound from each of them if we repainted it,” he said. “We went to my friend's Dad's house, got a large paint brush, a broom handle and sticky tape. Off we went—it took about an hour. We did one side each, hanging over the top, whilst being held by the trouser waistband.”
Langston said he was delighted it had been repainted as it was “part of his legacy,” and something he would be telling his grandchildren about.
Tagged categories: Bridges; Bridges; Color + Design; Completed projects; Design; Graffiti; Paint; Rail
