Two new murals now greet people arriving in Finsbury Park, and every detail in them came from the neighbours who live there. The artworks, unveiled this week, turn six residents’ ideas about their area into permanent public art at one of north London’s busiest stations.
One mural sits on Wells Terrace, just outside Finsbury Park London Underground station. The other is inside the station itself, so it is the first thing thousands of arriving passengers see. Together they celebrate the people, culture and everyday life of the neighbourhood — from its communities and connections to the small local landmarks residents hold dear.
The project was a genuine collaboration rather than a design handed down from above. Islington Council led the work in partnership with Allie’s Art Club, with support from Transport for London (TfL), and six local residents spent time with community artist Lydia Rosen exploring what Finsbury Park’s identity, heritage and culture mean to them. Their conversations shaped the finished pieces, which will now be seen by thousands of people every day.
Funding came through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and the murals form part of wider improvements to Finsbury Park town centre aimed at making the area greener, safer and more welcoming for residents, businesses and visitors. The station mural is designed as a welcome to the neighbourhood, while the Wells Terrace piece celebrates the communities, cultures and connections that make the area distinctive.
The Mayor of Islington, Councillor Rosaline Ogunro, said: “These murals tell a local story in a way that only local people can. They celebrate the communities, cultures and everyday experiences that make Finsbury Park unique.”
“Finsbury Park is one of Islington’s most diverse neighbourhoods, and it’s wonderful to see residents’ ideas transformed into artwork that thousands of people, including visitors to our borough, will enjoy every day. One of the murals even captures residents waving, offering a fitting welcome to all who pass through the area.”
“This project shows how we can work with communities and partners to improve public spaces while giving local people a genuine say in shaping their neighbourhood.”
For the residents who took part, seeing the finished work was an emotional moment. Resident co-designer Phoebe Smith said: “My first time seeing the completed mural I was lost for words, it’s just fabulous! I’ve lived in Islington all my life and it’s a nice feeling to be part of something like this. It’s awesome to have contributed to these murals, I can see how our ideas have fed into the final piece. Our conversations are encompassed in this mural, I can see Rowans, the hairdressers, companionship.”
“I hope it shows the inclusiveness of the Finsbury Park community; it’s a very accepting place and it’s nice to see our feelings as a physical thing. The weekend where we shared our ideas with Lydia there was a unity of feeling about Finsbury Park and I think it’s expressed here very well. Maybe a few preconceptions about Finsbury Park will be popped by this mural.”
Lydia Rose, founder of Allie’s Art Club, said: “It has been such a joy to work with local residents and businesses to explore what Finsbury Park means to them and turn their ideas into these public artworks.”
“The murals and banners reflect the everyday experiences, communities and connections that give the area its unique identity, and I hope local people feel a sense of pride and belonging when they see them.”
The station is a fitting home for the project. Serving the Piccadilly and Victoria lines, Finsbury Park is both a key transport hub and the heart of a diverse part of north London. Nick Dent, LU Director of Customer Operations at TfL, said: “Serving the Piccadilly and Victoria lines, Finsbury Park London Underground station is both a key transport hub and the heart of a diverse part of North London. These two new murals provide a warm welcome to everyone, whether they’re living or working in the area or paying a visit to local landmarks.”
Public art at Tube stations has a long history in London, and the Finsbury Park pieces follow that tradition in a deliberately local way: rather than importing a famous name, the council asked the people who pass through the station every day to describe their own neighbourhood — and then painted what they said. For commuters, the result is a station entrance that now tells them something about the place they are arriving in, not just its name.
Residents and visitors can see the Wells Terrace mural outside the station and the second mural inside, both free to view at any time the station is open. Elsewhere in Islington, a fire on Barnsbury Street closed part of the road earlier on Monday, while a blue plaque for Frank Pick, the man who shaped the Tube’s design identity, was recently unveiled in Hampstead.
