Artworks brighten up the streets and subways in Newton Abbot

Two new art installations, partly funded by the Teignbridge Arts Project (TAP), are brightening up the streets and subways in Newton Abbot.

The Community Tree

‘The Community Tree’ on Golden Lion Square (opposite Newton Abbot Library), was created by local landscape graffiti artist Joe Webster aka Enuf and was inspired by a giant oak tree, felled to make way for the war memorial a century ago.

The 16-metre-high artwork, which took 5 weeks to paint, focusses on the local community’s relationship with nature and is a collaborative effort, with workshops for community groups and local schools held to gather input from residents of all ages.

Textile artist Catherine West of Significant Seams has helped people to explore nature-inspired collage, lettering, applique and embroidery.

The artwork is designed to look stunning at all times of day, with a silhouette of the tree’s trunk and branches and golden yellow leaves which look bright during the day and seem to glow when lit up by streetlights.

The project is a collaboration between the people of Newton Abbot, Rotary Newton Abbot, Action on Climate in Teignbridge, Significant Seams and artist Joe Webster aka EnuF.

Keyberry Road subway

The subway on Keyberry Road in Newton Abbot has been transformed into a spectacular multi-sensory artwork installation.

Covering one side of the subway is a mural measuring over 29 metres in length by local artist Caroline Brady celebrating the history of the railways in the town and has taken over two months to complete.

On the opposite side is a series of photo collage panels created by the Newton Abbot Museum’s community engagement officer and local community artist, Kate Green.

The panels feature carriages and wagons pulled by an engine with a collage of items from local railway history chosen by residents after a series of workshops.

Pedestrians passing through can also listen to history recording of the railway workers sharing stories about their time on the railways by scanning the QR code in the subway.

In 2024, the Teignbridge Arts Project (TAP) supported 32 new arts and culture projects across the district providing £260,000 of funding through the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

Projects delivered by TAP have encouraged participation, strengthened community, fostered a sense of local pride or enhanced wellbeing and included performance-based theatre, dance workshops, drumming sessions, visual arts, community events and walking and poetry tours.