THE new mural on the wall of Platform Two at Tunbridge Wells station was officially unveiled on Monday. It replaced one accidentally damaged during repair work.
The new illustrated timeline was produced by local artist Chris Burke and begins with the iron age – when there is believed to have been a settlement in the town.
The centrepiece features King Edward VII who, in 1909, officially granted the town its ‘Royal’ prefix.
Next to the mural, a display has been erected, paying homage to the former mural, which was produced by Brian Barnes in 1989.
Speaking at the unveiling, Mr Burke said it had been 57 days since he was first asked to produce the piece, and added: “To be here now is quite amazing. But it has been a group project and a real community thing.”
Micahel Holman, Chair of Tunbridge Wells Refresh, who first raised the issue to the Town Forum and Southeastern said he was ‘surprised’ that the project actually came to fruition.
“What we have now is something that really adds to the town. After protesting the loss of the mural we realised it was time to stop the protest and do something positive,” he said.
Southeastern Passenger Service Director David Wornham said: “We could’ve perhaps treated the previous mural a bit better. But we put our hands up and more importantly in our pockets to the tune of £10,000.”
Mayor David ‘Pun’ Neve said: “I think we can all see that what has been produced is just the ticket and definitely first class.”
