Sandhurst: Calls for ‘iconic’ bridge graffiti to be repainted

Calls have been made to repaint a fading piece of graffiti on a railway bridge that was painted almost 60 years ago. “Happy Christmas” was daubed on the structure in Sandhurst in 1967 by college students and has since become a well-known local landmark. A recent Facebook post suggesting its restoration gained hundreds of likes and supporters – with people coming forward to share memories, and what the graffiti meant to them. Network Rail said it was “exploring the possibility” of granting permission. Harriet Fraser, who lives in Sandhurst, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service her uncle Martin Malorie was one of the college students who painted the bridge after leaving a Christmas party – apparently with the help of a grand piano. She said: “There were a lot of them – about six or seven went up there. They were at a party at the time. They wheeled a piano from the house up to the bridge and used it to climb up. Martin lent over and painted it upside down.” She said her uncles and friends had since “spoken about that night with howls of laughter”, with each version of the story told coming with its own elaborate...