Mural showing best of Somerset unveiled at Taunton station

Artist Susie Thomas worked with Great Western Railway and Severnside Community Rail Partnership on the artwork, which can be found at the north entrance to the station.

The four-by-two-metre mural was officially unveiled on Thursday, October 3.

Station manager Adam Hopkins spotted an opportunity to bring the plain wall to life and consulted with Severnside Community Rail Partnership to find local talent to create the colourful illustration.

After getting feedback from local station users, a plan was hatched to showcase Somerset and attractions within a ‘reasonable distance’ of the railway.

Artist Susie Thomas officially unveils the mural at Taunton railway station. (Image: Brian Garrett/Taunton Trains)

The completed design also showcases many landmarks and businesses in Taunton town centre, including Bath Place, the independent quarter and Vivary Park.

Susie, who co-owns the town's Rocket and Bird gift shop, was selected thanks to her passion for all things local, her creative flair and experience designing the Taunton Christmas Tree Trail and Arts Trail.

She worked closely with Great Western Railway’s marketing team and Visit Somerset to shortlist the destinations to include in the illustration.

Susie said: “As a Somerset illustrator who loves my home town of Taunton (and also has a bit of an obsession with maps) working on this project has been incredibly exciting!

“I thought I knew the county pretty well but illustrating almost 40 of our wonderful landmarks and attractions introduced me to a few new ones and taught me a little bit more about our beautiful county.

“I used to commute by train to work in Bath and became very familiar with the railway station at Taunton – it’s really special to have my work on the wall for all to see.

“The artworks here have been created using a combination of painting and digital artwork.”

It includes museums, National Trust properties and other landmarks. (Image: Brian Garrett/Taunton Trains)

Giles Adams, chair of Visit Somerset, said: “Travel is about purpose, excitement and discovery and innovative maps have always been an essential part of journey planning.

“This creative and inspirational map shows the connectivity to and from Somerset’s county town, Taunton, bringing our local destinations closer to life’s adventure.”

Station manager Adam said: “We’re thrilled with the new illustrated map and it has certainly gone down well with customers passing through the station.

“We’re grateful to Susie Thomas for brilliantly capturing so much of what the county has to offer, and to Severnside Community Rail Partnership for bringing this project to fruition.”