New Chingford Mount mural unveiled

Bursts of colour come to the high street, celebrating the past and present of Chingford Mount

You may have noticed a colourful new mural in Chingford Mount. 

The artwork, adorning the façade of The Laundrette at Churchill Terrace, has been commissioned by Waltham Forest Council to brighten up the high street. 

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held to mark its official opening on Tuesday 14 May featuring Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration Councillor Ahsan Khan, artists Good Wives and Warriors, residents, and other local councillors.

Part of the Levelling Up programme in Chingford Mount, the idea for the mural came about in spring 2023 following the success of a similar creation in Highams Park.

A design session was held in July 2023 with residents and artists to create the initial design, and, in August 2023, local people fed back through an online survey. Feedback was largely positive with many respondents liking how vibrant, colourful, and expressive it was. 

Some people suggested it didn’t fully represent the area and that it was too bright.

After considering the feedback, the council tweaked the design with artists Good Wives and Warriors so it felt more representative of Chingford Mount. The mural was installed in mid-April and feedback so far has been very positive.

Councillor Ahsan Khan said: “We have worked closely with residents on this project to brighten and improve the high street, make people feel safer and celebrate the past and present of Chingford Mount. There has been lots of interest from residents and we are pleased to have created this fantastic piece of art using the Levelling Up programme, which is just one of many projects we’re delivering to improve the area.”

Becky and Louise from Good Wives and Warriors said: “After creating the much-loved mural in Highams Park we were thrilled to be working on another project in Waltham Forest. With neighbourhood murals like this, we always work with residents’ suggestions and ideas. With the Chingford Mount mural, it was important after much feedback and consultation, that we did a more classical composition with a nod to the art deco references in the area. We wanted it to be positive and vibrant but show recognisable landmarks and famous people from Chingford. Hopefully everyone from aged one to 100 can find details they find interesting and recognisable.”

Read more about the history and facts featured in the artwork through the mural key.

About Good Wives and Warriors 

Becky Bolton and Louise Chappell have been working collaboratively as Good Wives and Warriors since 2007, soon after graduating from the Painting Department at The Glasgow School of Art.

They divide their time between designing large-scale installations for fine art settings and undertaking illustrations commissions from a diverse range of companies worldwide, including The BBC, Penguin, Facebook, Absolut, Adidas and Swatch.

They have exhibited around the world, including shows in London, Berlin, Paris, Melbourne, Buenos Aires, San Francisco, and Sao Paulo.

They strongly believe in visual art being accessible, meaningful, and visually appealing and they try to make art works that are generous in detail and content so that the viewer can find new things every time they look at the artwork, whether it be an ink illustration or a large-scale wall mural.

They are currently based in London (Leytonstone and Bow). Visit the Good Wives and Warriors website.