Art is doing more than just decorating walls across the Greater Anglia network. It’s telling stories and bringing local communities together.
From illustrations and student artwork to community-led murals and heritage inspired installations, each piece reflects the places, people and pride of the communities they serve.
This World Art Day, we are shining a light on some of the incredible installations across East Anglia that bring colour, creativity and local identity to the Greater Anglia network.
Saxmundham: from vandalism to a vibrant space
At Saxmundham station, a vandalised waiting room has been given a new lease of life thanks to a £6,500 grant from Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Improvement Fund.
What was once a damaged space is now a bright, uplifting environment filled with local art, poetry, and colour. The project brought together schoolchildren, poets, and artists from Saxmundham and the surrounding area.
Pupils from Saxmundham Primary School created vibrant artwork including flowers and swallows, while local artists redesigned the space with a vibrant blue scheme decorated with the Greater Anglia hare and a locally inspired poem.
St Margarets: A signal box decorated through community creativity
At St Margarets station, a signal box has been transformed into a space for local creativity.
A special community art project brought together artists, supporters and supporters to reimagine the space. Two local primary schools, St John the Baptist and St Andrew’s, played a central role, with four pieces of pupil artwork selected for display. Behind the scenes, a team from Greater Anglia installed the artwork, turning the once overlooked station signal box station into a canvas of community pride.
Ipswich: Local stories through photography
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At Ipswich station, passengers are met with striking photographic collages, created by Leah Payne, a Creative Arts student at Suffolk New College.
Her work draws inspiration from local landscapes including Ipswich docks and the River Orwell. The images were provided by the Ipswich Maritime Trust, showing a connection between heritage and local identity.
With support from the East Suffolk Lines Community Rail Partnership and Greater Anglia, the three large-scale collages now decorate the Platform 3/4 waiting room, offering customers visual storytelling while they wait for their train.
Walton-on-the-Naze: Railway History
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At Walton-on-the-Naze station, artwork celebrating Railway 200 brings the history of passenger rail to life. The work was unveiled as part of Railway 200, a celebration of 200 years of the modern railway in Great Britain.
The installation features a series of panels illustrating rail carriages from the earliest days of passenger trains through to the modern Greater Anglia fleet. Inside each carriage are self-portraits of individuals from the local community.
The work was funded and facilitated by the Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership (CRP) working with the Walton-on-the-Naze community, including Walton Youth Club, The Nose Artspace, and East Coast 5.
Ware: local stories in mosaic
The three-metre-long mosaic, reading “Welcome to Ware,” was created over seven months and uses hundreds of hand-cut tiles, including handmade ceramics, glass and mirrored elements.
The artwork is on the platform near the station’s entrance. It shows colourful flowers, butterflies, a narrowboat, swans and cygnets, along with bees, trees and a river.
The mosaic was designed by Donna Reeves and serves as a welcoming gateway that reflects community pride.
Manea, March and Whittlesey stations: Local Primary school art
As part of Railway 200, pupils brought creativity, imagination and colour to their local stations, inspired by trains of the past, present and future.
The project was led by the Hereward Community Rail Partnership (CRP) as part of its Railway 200 celebrations, in partnership with youth organisation 20Twenty Productions and local artist Ric Savage.
Using iPads, pupils from Manea Community Primary School, All Saints Interchurch Academy in March, and Park Lane Primary School in Whittlesey created their own digital train designs, resulting in a vibrant collection of imaginative illustrations.
Their artwork was then professionally edited and printed, ready to be proudly displayed at local railway stations, giving passengers the chance to enjoy a colourful celebration of railway heritage.
Dovercourt Station: Local identity and railway history through art
Passengers travelling through Dovercourt station are now welcomed by artwork that reflects both the character of the local area and its railway heritage. One colourfully painted scene captures the coastal beach view, while another depicts a historic train alongside a railway worker.
Both pieces were created by Scott King, also known as ‘Aroma One’, a street artist local to Harwich and Dovercourt. The railway worker featured in the doorway holds personal significance, painted in memory of the artist’s father, who worked on the railway.
Together, the pieces, completed in 2026, help create a more welcoming environment for passengers passing through the station.
March station: Striking sunflower mosaic
A striking sunflower mosaic at March station celebrates creativity, sustainability and local talent.
The mosaic was created by students from the Fenland Area Community Enterprise Trust (FACET), a charity supporting adults with learning disabilities through life skills and development programmes. The artwork was carefully crafted using upcycled materials, including wood from a repurposed office desk, with each piece individually painted and hand-cut by the students.
The finished piece adds warmth to the station environment while highlighting both sustainability and community spirit.
Marks Tey Station: Student mural highlighting local heritage
At Marks Tey station, A Level students from Colchester Sixth Form have designed a mural featuring the Greater Anglia hare, reflecting the station’s history and surrounding landscape.
The project was funded and facilitated by the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership. Students Danielle Beckett-Martin, Isobel Howlett, Charles Hughes, Ingrid Kapovic, Genesis Smith, Ellie Tyler and Mae Warner led the design, choosing to incorporate elements of the local environment, including wildlife such as red kites.
White Notley: In the age of steam
New artwork has also recently been installed at White Notley station. A stylised ‘Wisdom Print’ reimagines how the station would have appeared in the age of steam.
The piece holds personal significance for station adopter Scott Dolling, whose parents worked at the station during that era. It has also transformed a previously boarded-up signal box, helping to improve the overall appearance of the station.
