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Graffiti walls could be rolled out after success

Jeremy Stern & Ben Marvell
BBC Radio Wiltshire
BBC A man with dyed blonde hair wearing a red shirt holds a can of spray paint close to the camera as he stands in front of a piece of wall art.BBC
Graffiti artist Baz Hurlow developed the idea for the wall with Wiltshire Council

More legal art walls could be rolled out following a successful trial in Melksham.

The project was started by Wiltshire Council in September 2024 as a means to combat illegal graffiti in the town and give local artists the opportunity to showcase their talent.

The wall is in the underpass on the A350 Bath Road in the town, with a local community group, the Melksham Art Group, responsible for the space and ensuring artists follow the code of conduct.

Councillor Martin Smith, cabinet member for highways, streetscene and flooding is optimistic that projects in Salisbury and Trowbridge will go ahead following the success of the pilot project.

A smiling man wearing a blue suit and glasses puts his hand on a newly decorated wall.
Councillor Martin Smith says the scheme's success could lead to similar projects elsewhere

He said that the programme had achieved its objectives and improved the local area.

"It's really fantastic. It's really makes you look at it."

"It's definitely been a success and we are now looking to roll that out to communities in both Salisbury and Trowbridge, where the various groups have expressed interest there."

"We're starting to work with them to identify particular areas where they could also have a legal art or and we could do the same thing for them there," he added.

A wall with yellow graffiti on it reading "Welcome to Melksham".
The artworks are changed regularly and include a variety of different designs and motifs

The artworks change on a regular basis as artists create new works on top of those already painted.

Baz Hurlow is one of the graffiti artists involved in the project, having developed the idea with Wilshire Council.

He said that the opportunities the wall provides are crucial for up and coming local artists.

"The idea of the wall is that graffiti artists will come here, and there will be less graffiti in other parts of the town where it shouldn't be."

"Meeting new people, gaining new opportunities gives me a chance to express my art in a way that I've never had before."

"We have had people come down from Swindon, Worcester, Winchester, and we're hoping to expand a little bit further," he added.

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