Art in the Arches

403 and 406 Bridges

As part of the Light at the End of the Tunnel programme, a cluster of 4 railway bridges have recently been refurbished in Bankside. The regeneration projects were delivered to improve the safety of the routes beneath the viaducts in Bankside, and since completion, the number of people passing through the arches has increased substantially. The four bridges are located at Dolben Street, Treveris Street, Burrell Street, and Gambia Street.

The improvement works included extensive brick cleaning, footway renewal, the installation of powerful new lighting schemes, and 2 bespoke art works called "403" and "406."

The artworks are a continuation of '401' lighting project on Union Street by the artist Ron Haselden. The art works are inspired by the Network Rail bridge identification numbers which are displayed as LED lights attached to a steel frame to create a subtle yet deeply moving experience.

The project was project managed by the Frameworks and Implementation Team at Southwark Council, using regeneration funding from the Cross River Partnership and Transport for London. The scheme was installed by Southwark council's lighting team. Similar bridge transformation projects have also been carried out by the team at Southwark Street and Whites Grounds.

Energy efficiency

LED Lights are the future and are extremely efficient. The 401, 403 and 406 artistic lights are on 24/7 365 days a year with a total load of 36 watts each which equates to a highly efficient price of £20 per year.