A bright, colourful stencil mural now graces the walls of Goathouse Bridge in Penge Road. It was unveiled as part of Croydon Council’s on-going work to revive and regenerate South Norwood.
Goathouse Bridge overlooks the railway and is named after The Goat House pub that once stood at the entrance to the area. It is a key gateway to South Norwood High Street, so the mural is in a prime location, offering a warm welcome to everyone who lives in or visits the area.
The stencil artwork was designed by Europa, a graphic design studio and CarverHaggard Architects, in collaboration with Year 9 students from Harris Academy South Norwood and Reaching Higher, a local youth organisation.
The creation of the artwork was led by artist Tanguy Bertocchi from Varylab Studios.
The mural project is part of the council’s South Norwood Regeneration Programme, a £2.4 million programme funded by the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund and Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zone, to revitalise and revive South Norwood High Street. Regeneration is one of the Executive Mayor’s priorities, to help restore pride in where we live and work.
Young people were invited to get involved in the project to share their relationship to the high street and the area.
The engagement work started with a stencil art workshop led by Varylab Studios where students designed the bold and colourful ’South Norwood’ letters, that inspired the finished design. Design concepts for the mural were shared with the public at several local events, including the Clock Tower Market and the South Norwood Community Festival.
In September, before the reveal, the students worked with the artist to create the mural, applying stencil art techniques they acquired and spray painting.
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor Croydon, said: “One of the commitments I made when I became Executive Mayor was to invest in our neighbourhoods and make Croydon a place where people feel proud to live and visit. This regeneration programme is helping to restore pride in South Norwood.
“I’m very proud of the enthusiasm and creativity displayed by our young people from Reaching Higher and Harris Academy South Norwood who willingly gave their time to bring this work to life for everyone to enjoy.”
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries at the Greater London Authority (GLA), said: “The talent and creativity of Croydon’s young people is on full display with this vibrant mural which brings an injection of colour to South Norwood. The Year 9 students from Harris Academy have shown how art can breathe life and energy into our public spaces and help to create a better London for everyone.”
The regeneration programme has been engaging young people in high street initiatives through creative, interactive projects since 2022.
- March 2024 – partnered with Open City’s Accelerate Programme to run a workshop at Harris Academy to build miniature models of local shops and reimagine heritage features.
- March 2023 – created the South Norwood in print zine with Year 8 Harris Academy students, which looked at linking everyday objects to high street heritage.
Both projects were funded by Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zone.
To learn more about the project and South Norwood regeneration visit the council website.
