Graffiti,what is the matter with people who do this.

[Reorte]

On the historical front - well, lots of historical stuff is of great interest of course, and frequently that involved people doing things a lot more unpleasant than a bit of vandalism, so I see no contradiction in both preserving that and condemning any that happens now.

[kevinlms]

That last photo signifies the very worst type of graffiti, it means nothing, except to those who put it there, or to their rivals. There is no political/witty message, just a mess of 'art'.

[fulton]

Not graffiti as such, but officially done, I do not like the advertising applied to buses and trams, common in Europe, which goes over the windows, so that you can hardly see out, makes it harder to condemn the graffiti vandalism. 

[Hroth]

Another example of graffiti on Merseyrail trains is one I saw some time ago at West Kirby station.

 

 

Done whilst the unit was stabled overnight.

Pretty typical mindless tagging!

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Hroth

[Rich_F]

I used to be a regular commuter on FCC when they used 319s & 377s. The 377s used to be trashed (externally) on many occasions when I travelled on them. 

 

Probably didn't help the trains didn't receive much love!

[melmerby]

Better class of graffiti in Birmingham:

 

Around Digbeth/Deritend area there is a wealth of quite classy stuff, some hoardings have been put in place so that graffiti artists can vent their desire without messing up other places.

Not totally succesful but there is a bit less graffiti on the west side of Bradford street on the derilict buildings than on the hoarding opposite

https://goo.gl/maps/Cgf5S8T11qUmLHsf6

 

Even paint the pole to match!:

https://goo.gl/maps/eoaW13i9CtMxwXbi6

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by melmerby

[Bernard Lamb]

3 hours ago, kevinlms said:

That last photo signifies the very worst type of graffiti, it means nothing, except to those who put it there, or to their rivals. There is no political/witty message, just a mess of 'art'.

It means very little to me, but it would seem to be very important to some people.

The railway line is the main line just outside Liverpool Street station and is thus a dividing line between two areas.

Various groups gather under the arches and on the steps. What for I do not know.

Various other groups make videos and do fashion shoots. Again I have no understanding of what these are about.

The use of the arch and steps as a location for photography goes back to the 1960s and Swinging London.

A family by the name of Kray lived just out of shot to the right. There seems to be a connection.

All part of a culture that is way beyond my comprehension.

Bernard

[Rugd1022]

This always intrigued me...

 

[RedgateModels]

When I was at College in Coventry back in the 80's the footbridge over the railway near the station was called "Anarchy Bridge" due to it's covering in graffiti. It's now been replaced with a more open glass and metal structure more in keeping with the swanky shopping centre that the bridge now passes over.

 

Walked over it every day to college and some of it was very amusing, some just plain rubbish tagging. Most got overpainted as more was added etc but one or two seemed to be allowed to stay.

 

"Marie smells of Brie" springs to mind, but one of the best was a really good representation of the Weetabix man (remember them?)

 

One morning there was a note proclaiming "The Return of the Pink Panther" followed by lots of pink panther footprints along the walkway. These moved up onto the top of the bridge sides and then off and over the roof of the adjoining building on the city side of the bridge.

 

Vandalism, yes, amusing and creative absolutely. 

 

And I remember those bits of artwork 40 years later ........

[Jim Martin]

On 28/02/2023 at 16:26, Hroth said:

The same thing happened to some new Merseyrail class 777 units before they were delivered to Kirkdale depot in 2020. Typically, Merseyrail have yet to bring their fleet of new trains into service*, they're still running the cranky old 507/508 units.

 

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/new-merseyrail-train-covered-graffiti-18676844

 

* Reasons include Covid, manning disputes and the ongoing industrial actions.

 

 

Keep up! The class 777s (aka "our new triple-7 fleet" on some Merseyrail posters) have been in use on the Kirkby line for a few weeks now. At last!

 

Jim

 

 

[Hroth]

2 minutes ago, Jim Martin said:

 

Keep up! The class 777s (aka "our new triple-7 fleet" on some Merseyrail posters) have been in use on the Kirkby line for a few weeks now. At last!

 

Jim

 

 

 

But not the Wirral, which is more important...  🤪

 

[Jim Martin]

2 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

But not the Wirral, which is more important...  🤪

 

 

When the 507/8s are finally withdrawn, they're going to strip out the interiors and remove the glass from the windows.

 

Then you're getting them and we're having the 777s! 😀 (we might even have them on  the Southport line by then)

[polybear]

On 28/02/2023 at 16:34, woodenhead said:

Graffiti is not a UK problem, it happens across the world wherever there are large concentrations of people and a lack of meaningful employment and social cohesion.

 

I've been to South Korea several times - and on every visit I've been stunned by the almost total lack of graffiti, vandalism, rubbish etc. - even in the Capital, Seoul.

[APOLLO]

 

Latin Graffiti John Cleese style - Like the punishment !!

 

Brit15

[Bernard Lamb]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

I've been to South Korea several times - and on every visit I've been stunned by the almost total lack of graffiti, vandalism, rubbish etc. - even in the Capital, Seoul.

But when they get a job in London they leave their mark.

Funnily enough they did this job as there was no UK company willing or able to take it on. The removal of a very large quantity of asbestos paint.

Bernard

[Welchester]

6 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

This always intrigued me...

 

I have a dim recollection of its being described as the work of the ‘Master of Paddington’.

[Martino]

My feeling is that graffiti is just vandalism, however….

 

In Pensacola, Northwest Florida, near where I used to live is The Graffiti Bridge. (https://thegraffitibridge.com/) which has become something of a place where social comment can be made.  It’s regularly updated and has become a celebrity location.  It’s also a bridge that is regularly hit by truck drivers who cannot read height restriction signs.

I remember graffiti on an old pillbox at the end of a siding, north of the Great Western mainline, around Langley I think.  It was there in the early ‘70s when I was commuting into London from Slough.  It said ‘ Tex Catty Cat’. I recall that it was still there many many years later.  Is it still there?  When did it first appear?

[jjb1970]

7 hours ago, polybear said:

 

I've been to South Korea several times - and on every visit I've been stunned by the almost total lack of graffiti, vandalism, rubbish etc. - even in the Capital, Seoul.

 

I suspect that wannabe graffiti enthusiasts in the Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore and much of the rest of Asia might do it once.......

 

I go to Indonesia quite a bit, you do see graffiti there but it's much less prevalent than in Europe and the US and it seems very rare on trains. Which is despite it being a country with the sort of social problems often blamed for graffiti, much more so than European countries. 

[TinTracks]

Last year I had my car Graffitied with a mega tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Just a few of the local loonies having a ''larf'' at 4am . No problem really, the seagulls, the missus and our north east coast weather seen it off in no time.

HOWEVER a confession

 Firstly may I say that I agree 100% with the sentiments regarding vandalism  and irresponsible behaviour etc, but once , and only once, I found myself consumed with laughter at a piece of graffiti.

To explain. In the late 1990s I worked near Washington Tyne and Wear. Once or twice a week I drove under an old disused railway bridge over ( I think) the A182 close to the A 183 interchange.( Maybe Biddick roundabout)

The bridge carried the slogan '' Penshaw woollies eat deer''

Translation if required as follows.

Penshaw = Small village near Sunderland 

Eat  deer= I think they mean eat roadkill or similar

Woollies  = Woolly Back = Yokel, Imbecile, Cretin, and other disrespectful terms

Eventually the powers that then were, repainted the bridge. For a short while it looked resplendent in a coat of dull grey, but not for long.

Only a week or so later I drove down the A182 and the bridge bore the new slogan

 ''Penshaw Woollies STILL EAT DEER''

I'm not proud but I have to confess that I came close to convulsions of laughter. Northern Wit at it's  grittienest. At that moment in time me it amused me. The new script was the talk of the tavern in the Millwrights at Birtley and the Shipwrights at Hylton I wonder if any other readers from the North East remember this?

 That was 35 years ago.These days I really can't tolerate the willful, appalling, vandalism that I see everywhere., including on my car, even if it was only ice cream

 

Regards Rich

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 2, 2023 by TinTracks

[BR traction instructor]

Pleased to say that I don’t recall seeing any graffiti in Silloth but I’m going to keep my eyes open now…just in case.

 

BeRTIe

[Reorte]

6 hours ago, BR traction instructor said:

Pleased to say that I don’t recall seeing any graffiti in Silloth but I’m going to keep my eyes open now…just in case.

Well the one time I've been to Silloth it seemed depressing enough without it!

[big jim]

6 hours ago, BR traction instructor said:

Pleased to say that I don’t recall seeing any graffiti in Silloth but I’m going to keep my eyes open now…just in case.

 

BeRTIe

you’re not seen the BNP graffiti at causeway head then? 

 

my favourite bit of retro graffiti is ‘Tojo the Dwarf’ between Sandwell and Dudley and Dudley port (pic from Twitter) supposedly been there 40+ years 

those of us who remember The Mary Whitehouse experience on the TV in the early 90s will of course remember ‘M Khan is bent’ 

Edited March 2, 2023 by big jim

[Chris Turnbull]

On 28/02/2023 at 16:56, melmerby said:

It's gone on for possibly hundreds of years

 

Yes, it has.  Stetchworth Church near me boasts some early English gaffiti carved into a pillar depicting the visit of a Queen Philippa (whoever she was) along with several animals.

 

Chris Turnbull

[Bernard Lamb]

George Davis is Innocent.

A message repeated in many locations over a very long period.

He was. But it took 36 years to obtain justice.

It would be hard to say that the usse of graffitti was wrong in this case. It did play a big part in keeping the case in the public eye.

Bernard

 

[Ian Smeeton]

Graffiti in a Glasgow Boozers Gents Toilet.

 

At the bottom of the cubicle door:

 

"Beware Limbo Dancers" 

 

At the top...

 

"Beware I**sh Limbo Dancers"

 

Made me chuckle at the time 

 

Regards

 

Ian