A new mural at Hilsea Station depicting life in the First World War trenches has been unveiled.

It’s part of a series of improvements to the station’s safety, appearance, and accessibility made by Portsmouth City Council, enabled with a £50,000 grant from South Western Railway’s (SWR) Customer and Communities Improvement Fund.

The painting of the mural was coordinated by ThinkingBigger Ltd. It will serve as a wayfinder to the nearby WWI Remembrance Centre, based in Bastion 6 in Hilsea Lines, who also contributed to its design. The Councillors who represent the Hilsea area also helped to steer the project.

ThinkingBigger Ltd is a Portsmouth-based publishing company and educational service provider. The piece brings together the incredible artwork of two of the publishing house’s authors: Spike Zephaniah Stephenson, the artist whose design was chosen, and local historian Professor Sue Harper, who penned the letter incorporated into the mural.

Its launch was marked on Thursday, 1 May, by a ‘yarn bomb’ of crocheted poppies, made by volunteers from across the city and beyond, supported by Seeded Southsea. Volunteers from the Remembrance Centre have supported the mural design. They decorated the new bollards that have been installed to help keep the space clear of vehicles for pedestrians.

The poppy, a symbol of remembrance and hope since the First World War, now represents all those who have lost their lives in active service to the present day. A second remembrance mural is under construction on the west side of the underpass, which the council hopes to develop in collaboration with local schools.

The £50,000 grant will be used to make significant improvements in the area between Hilsea Station, the WWI Remembrance Centre, and the start of Hilsea Lines, including improved wayfinding, lighting, and additional CCTV in the vicinity of Hilsea Station and its entrances and exits. These enhancements are to help visitors feel safer and better navigate to key locations such as the footpath to Foxes’ Forest and Hilsea Lines, which are next to the WWI Memorial Centre.

So far, the additional CCTV and lighting have been installed, as well as bollards to improve pedestrian access.

Leader of Portsmouth City Council, Cllr Steve Pitt, said: We are very grateful to South Western Railway for their generous grant. These improvements will not only enhance safety and accessibility in the Hilsea area but also strengthen our community’s connection to its rich history. As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, it is particularly poignant to see these efforts come to fruition, as we all collectively honour the sacrifice of our Armed Forces, veterans, and their families.

This project is part of a broader collaboration with SWR to join up their ‘Safe Spaces’ initiative within the train network and the Council’s ‘Safer Streets’ work. The improvements around Hilsea Station are a testament to the ongoing commitment to creating safer, more welcoming environments for all.

South Western Railway’s Customer and Commercial Director, Peter Williams, said: Grants from our Customer and Communities Improvement Fund are awarded to projects that deliver clear community benefit or address an area of social need across our network. We’ve been very pleased to support Portsmouth City Council’s important scheme to make the area around Hilsea Station safer and more accessible for local residents.