Mosaic Roundels Appear at Overground Stations in London

Mosaic roundels have been appearing on the walls of train stations all over London. Mainly situated in the North and East of the city, one can also be found south of the river. From Walthamstow based mosaic artist Maud Milton and her public art agency Artyface. They are the result of a community project aimed at bringing mosaic art to the area. With the support of Arriva Rail London it’s a project Maud has been working on since February 2019.

Initially the idea was developed with Arriva for the stations at Gospel Oak, South Tottenham and Upper Holloway. It was then developed further as part of Waltham Forest‘s time as the London Borough of Culture. The suggestion was to create the famous train station roundels out of mosaic. The idea was a hit with local communities who loved the idea. Since then workshops focused on creating the multiple works have been taking place. The end result is that the mosaic roundels themselves are full of detail and local symbolism, driven from the local residents.

Maud Milton sits underneath the mosaic roundel at Highams Park station — Maud Milton underneath the roundel at Highams Park

The pandemic of course threatened to put the project off course. Planned public workshops from Spring 2020 onwards simply couldn’t be be operated in the traditional way. The solution was that local more remote tile making occured in more than 150 local households, almhouses and care homes. Using a pack made up by Artyface, local people were able to press their own designs guided with instructional instagram videos. They were then sent back, glazed and placed into the finished pieces which would be assembled in the mosaic roundels at Maud’s studio at Trinity Buoy Wharf.

A young person celebrates the installation of the mosaic roundel at St James Street — Celebrating the installation of the St James Street Mosaic roundel

Mosaic Roundels on the Overground

At present there are 13 mosaic roundels. Most can be found in North and East London with a range spanning from Gospel Oak in the west to Leytonstone in the east. The roundel at Chingford is the furthest north and all roundels in this area are part of overground stations. Stations at Highams Park, St James Street and Walthamstow Central all have two. Arriva, the key sponsor behind the project operates the trains on the overground network. A separate roundel can be found south of the river in Thornton Heath. That was part of a similar project for Govia trains and one which happened entirely during the lockdown.

Each mosaic roundel is made up of tiny intricate details. Each in some way telling a story of the people who contributed to making them. The words and images contained within each one are all unique and representative of the area where the roundels have been placed. Here we have pictures of each one and a map for where to see them.

Chingford Railway Station Roundel

Mosaic roundel at Chingford Station — Roundel outside Chingford station

Close up of the Chingford station mosaic roundel — Chingford station roundel

Gospel Oak Roundel

Highams Park Railway Station Roundel

Mosaic roundel at Highams Park — Roundel above the seats at Highams Park

Highams Park roundel in front of the station

The mosaic roundel at highams park being created. — Making the Highams Park mosaic roundel

Leyton Midland Road Roundel

Leyton midland road mosaic roundel — Leyton Midland Road Roundel

Harry Beck's name in the Leyton High Road mosaic roundel — Detail of Leyton Midland Road Roundel. Harry Beck came from the area and designed the original tube map

Leytonstone High Road Roundel

the completed mosaic roundel outside Leytonstone high road station — Leytonstone High Road Roundel

South Tottenham Roundel

Maud Milton stands with a coffee next to the South Tottenham mosaic roundel — Maud Milton by the completed South Tottenham mosaic roundel

St James Street Station Roundel

St James Street roundel outside the station

Thornton Heath Station Roundel

Thornton Heath mosaic roundel is currently the only one situated in South London. It’s a different colour scheme due to being on a different train line run by Govia

Upper Holloway Roundel

Installing the Upper Holloway station roundel

Walthamstow Central Roundel

The mosaic train station roundels are part of a project operated by Maud Milton and Artyface and supported by Arriva Rail London. The project has developed and since been further supported by a fellowship grant from Waltham Forest and Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust, grants from L&Q homes and St James Street Big Local. All photographs used in this article are courtesy of Maud Milton. You can read more about the project here.