Last week we had the pleasure of meeting Angela and Ellie – two of the team members who are behind the Billinton Hill mural project – for a tour of the work-in-progress artwork currently being created on the concrete wall running down the railway side of Billinton Hill. If you’re pondering the name ‘Billinton Hill’, it’s the road by the side entrance to East Croydon station, where the taxis wait, cars pull in to drop off passengers, and commuters walk to and from the station.

The mural project is a collaboration between a core team of four: Ellie Sandover (of Legacy Youth Zone); Angela Vanegas and Max Kenna (of East Croydon Community Organisation – or ECCO for short); and artist Yvonne Tran (of Chelsea Physic Garden).

We caught up with the team for a further chat to find out more about the project.

Croydonist: Tell us how the mural project came about.

Max: In the autumn of 2024, I made a bid to Govia Thameslink Railways (GTR) Station Improvement fund. This outlined how Billinton Hill could be improved for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as motorists. A wildflower mural along the concrete wall along the west of the street was one of the suggestions. This was inspired by the flower murals outside London Bridge Station, designed and produced by Imelda Cox in 2021. These included flowers that appeared to be growing in the cracks between the pavement and the wall. As the ECCO area has no public open space, this is where many of our local wildflowers can be seen.

Unfortunately, my bid was not successful. However, I did manage to secure a grant of £500 to work on the wild flower mural. Aware that £500 was unlikely to cover the costs of a mural over 60m long, I made an expression of interest to be involved in projects generated by Kew Garden’s Grow Wild on the Railway Scheme. This called on young people aged 18–25 to come up with project ideas to champion UK plants and fungi close to stations along the Southern Railway route of the GTR network, including East Croydon. Ellie and Yvonne successfully applied for funding through this scheme and were matched with East Croydon Community Organisation.

Left: drop-in painting event, 30 November 2025. Right: artist, Yvonne Tran.

Croydonist: Why Billinton Hill?

Max: The Billinton Hill side of East Croydon has been neglected for many years. The former Post Office sorting office lay derelict for about 10 years before it was demolished in 2022. The site was then surrounded by hoardings, subject to sporadic outburst of graffiti. The road surface had become potholed and the painting on the zebra crossing faded (now refreshed). Use of the cycle rack had declined due to safety concerns. It needed something to brighten it up.

Croydonist: What’s the aim of the project?

Angela: The project aims to improve the experience of the people who use Billinton Hill. Many of these live in the ECCO area and travel from East Croydon station, others work for organisations based at the station. Hopefully, the mural will also encourage passers-by to notice and appreciate the diverse, beautiful wild flowers that grow on their doorstep. Leaves from some of our street trees, fungi and local animals have also been included. It is hoped that this will help people appreciate the area in which they live or work.

Left: Yvonne, Ellie and Ruthie Maketa from Legacy Youth Zone. Right: Max helping paint.

Croydonist: Who are the people/organisations involved in the project and what are their roles?

Ellie: This project has really been a team effort! Max initiated the project and has provided overall project management. Angela recorded the flowers and fungi and had them identified by a local botanist. Esther Potman, a local forest school practitioner, had already identified the street trees. Yvonne is our lead artist, focusing on local plants, fungi and wildlife. I have been providing project management support, youth engagement and community consultation, as well as focussing on the representation of people in the mural. We have all had tremendous support from Steve Fleming, the manager of East Croydon Station, and his team.

Croydonist: How did you all meet?

Ellie: Max and Angela already knew each other, but the four of us first met together over coffee in September, after the funding from Kew was confirmed, and we’ve met almost weekly ever since. What started as a conversation quickly became a collaboration, and the regular catch-ups helped shape the project into something genuinely collective.

Croydonist: Why plants and people?

Yvonne: Plants and people felt like a natural pairing. My concept focuses on the trees, fungi and wildflowers found in East Croydon. It stems from the idea of ‘plant blindness’ – how we commonly overlook the beautiful greenery and colour of plants, passing by them in a rush to catch the train. The idea was to have different identifiable species, so pedestrians might be able to match them along pavements or in Croydon’s open spaces, connecting people to plants!

Ellie: My concept focuses on the people who keep the borough moving every day (nurses, transport staff, youth workers etc) whose support is vital, but often overlooked. The concepts combined are about visibility, nature and community.

Work-in-progress mural, 30 November 2025

Croydonist: What have been the challenges of creating the mural so far?

Ellie: Working in a busy, public, open space brings challenges (such as weather and safety), as does coordinating many people with different daily routines. There’s also the need to ensure that the mural is accessible and representative. But those challenges are part of what makes it meaningful and rooted in the real life of the area.

Yvonne: I had a few worries about how people felt about the mural in the outlining stage. Mid-process artwork doesn’t always look the best and it was very daunting doing such a large piece of work in such a public space! This all went away during our community painting day, when many volunteers came to add colour to the outlines. I have had multiple people say they look forward to seeing what happens week on week!

Drop-in painting event, 30 November 2025

Croydonist: What have been the best parts about creating the mural so far?

Ellie: For me, this is local people. Seeing families, friends and complete strangers stop, ask questions and even pick up a brush has been incredible. There’s been a real sense of shared ownership, and watching the mural grow from a blank wall into something colourful and meaningful has been genuinely joyful. On our main painting day on 30 November, a group came together to help bring the mural to life – some for a few minutes, others for several hours. Some had lived nearby for decades, others for just a few months. Everyone’s contribution has made it a truly collaborative and community-focused effort.

Yvonne: I’m always thrilled to chat with pedestrians, taxi drivers and station staff about the mural, work, life and to hear their stories. A highlight was a driver on the taxi rank drawing a flower on scrap paper and handing it to me. This has been incorporated into the design and you can see it in the middle of the wall. I also hope to add a white wagtail bird, as another driver told me they hop along the pavement on Billinton Hill.

Croydonist: Do you have another painting session planned and can anyone in the community get involved?

Yvonne: I am happy for people to join in if you can catch me at the wall some weekends this month and next. The dates of these are dependent on the weather, as the paint will not dry when it is rainy. Anyone is welcome, just say hello and I can let you know if we have capacity for painting that day. I am always up for a chat about what you’d like to see on the wall.

The volunteer group from the drop-in painting event, 30 November 2025

Croydonist: When do you hope to have the mural finished?

Yvonne: I am hoping that the plant, fungi and animal sections will be completed by the end of January/mid-February. I’ll be sad not to be seeing the same volunteers every week, but working on such a large project has been a delight and I’m excited for the final piece to be fully enjoyed. Information about the plants, fungi and animals I have depicted will gradually be added to a webpage about the mural here.

Ellie: I am currently looking for an artist to bring the people part of the mural to life and we are hoping that it will be fully completed by March, allowing for the weather. We’re being intentionally flexible – it’s important the process isn’t rushed and that people continue to have the opportunity to be involved.

Croydonist: If there was somewhere else in Croydon you could paint another mural where would it be?

Angela: I would choose the walls of The Glamorgan on Cherry Orchard Road. It is probably the oldest building in the ECCO area, first mentioned in 1835. However, since the pub was sold to property developers in 2016, it has been under threat of demolition. The mural could feature some events in the pub’s history, including its possible role in the rise of Indian Pale Ale and its use as a jazz pub from 1993 (when it was called The Grouse and Claret).

Max: It would be great if the parades of shops at the northern end of Cherry Orchard Road and adjoining parts of Lower Addiscombe Road could be painted. Anything that would improve their environment would help them survive and thrive. As a result of my campaign to improve the roundabout junction by The Leslie Arms, Croydon Council presented a feasibility study to Transport for London for consideration. We await their response with interest. Meanwhile – shop local!

Ellie: If I had to pick, I’d love to see some sort of artwork or creative brightening up of West Croydon – whether through murals, plants, or other community-led projects. There are many overlooked spaces that could benefit, such as underpasses, long boundary walls, or areas people pass through but rarely stop in. The key is choosing places that feel forgotten but have a strong local identity, and ensuring the project is created with the community that uses the space every day.

Work-in-progress mural, 8 January 2026

Thank you to Angela, Ellie, Max and Yvonne for chatting with us. You can see the progress of the Billinton Hill mural, by coming to the side entrance of East Croydon Station (by the taxi rank) and walking down the hill towards the Porter & Sorter pub. It’s a lovely addition to the area.

Photos: Image 1a by Max Kenna; images 1b, 2a & 2b, 3, 4 and 5 by Lenka Ryan © RBG Kew; header and image 6a & 6b by the Croydonist

Posted by Julia