Now the election’s over, we need to talk about East Putney’s bridges

The painting is finished. East Putney’s two long-awaited railway bridges are blue. Very, very blue, with a band of highlighter yellow along the upper fascia, and “EAST PUTNEY” picked out in white lettering on the lower panels. The works began in March and finished this week.

For as long as anyone can remember, East Putney’s railway bridges have worn a muted terracotta that is easy to not quite see. The comparable Victorian ironwork bridges nearby still carry that weathered red-brown, their decorative panels quietly ageing into the brickwork. The bridges on Upper Richmond Road are now doing something quite different.

The reaction has been… immediate. The most popular comparison is IKEA. The Minions have also been mentioned. A symbol of Ukrainian support possibly. If you look closely, you will note that HSS The Hire Service Co. sat besides one of the bridges has a sign fixed to its abutment wall that bears a striking resemblance. We know TfL is strapped for cash, maybe its now selling sponsorship of its bridges. Or perhaps there was a batch of Highlighter Yellow on special.

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like look

What does it look like to you?

• I love IKEA!
• A very happy minion
• The Ukrainian flag
• A tool hire company's van
• A London landmark
• I'm filing a complaint

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Is this what was signed off?

The before-and-after composite circulated before the works began showed the bridges in rather more muted tones: a dusty blue, something approaching cream or gold in the yellow band. I think we can agree that what has gone on the bridge is not that.

Whether the delivered result reflects what was formally approved is one of two questions we are going to put to Network Rail, which carried out the refurbishment.

The other: are the other railway bridges in Putney and Roehampton next? There are several comparable Victorian structures in the area, all currently carrying the muted terracotta that has been the local palette for decades. If the answer is yes, the colour question becomes considerably more significant.

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you bothered? Are

Are you bothered?

• Love it: bring colour to Putney
• It'll grow on me
• I have concerns, but I'll adapt
• No. No no no.
• I want to know who approved this

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In October 2016, Wandsworth Council backed plans for Balham-style bronze artwork on the bridges, with community input and a considered design process. In 2019 the plans “moved a step closer.” They never arrived. What East Putney got, after 40 nights of works and a substantial number of noise complaints, is a coat of paint.

It is, at minimum, a memorable one.