Mural of mammoth proportions appears in Ilford Lane

A mural of an ancient mammoth, made entirely from used plastic bottle lids, has gone up on the wall of Clementswood Church in Ilford Lane.

The life-sized mammoth, named Marley, is the second in a series of murals commissioned by Redbridge Council, making an appearance in Ilford Lane. The mural, funded by national grants, was a collaboration between local school children and a sustainable artist, who worked together to create the design, and collect thousands of used bottle tops, which were used to create the mural.

The final touches were screwed to the mural in an event that brought members of the local community out in excitement, all eager to celebrate the latest mural on The Lane.

Steppe mammoths, larger than woolly mammoths, roamed this area around 200,000 years ago. The location of this mural is a fitting tribute to the best-preserved skull and tusks ever to be found in Britain, which were discovered just off Ilford Lane by workers in the area. This artefact now rests in the Natural History Museum, with a replica in Redbridge Museum, open for local people to visit.

In this project, the artist, Caitlin Atherton, discussed local natural history with the children, and they also looked at sustainability and recycling, with the impassioned young people then coming to school with thousands of bottle lids to be recycled into this artwork.

Artist, Caitlin Atherton said, “Marley was designed with the local children of Ilford Lane as well as the local community. We thought about which colours represented The Lane, and together we designed this multi-coloured mammoth with his skeleton. We wanted to represent the skeleton that was found and bring it back to life.”

Councillor Kam Rai, Leader of Redbridge Council, said, “Marley the mammoth is the second in a series of murals to appear on Ilford Lane. Last week we welcomed an enormous Kingfisher, which was painted on the side of a building a little further down the road. We commissioned murals featuring wildlife at the request of local children, who told us they wanted to find a way to bring more nature into the area and to brighten up the road. I’m glad this is made of recycled plastic, and shows an excellent example of sustainability in action. I hope that by brightening up the Lane, residents will continue working with us to keep it clean and tidy.

“We’re working towards becoming the first borough in England to be recognised by UNICEF UK as being child friendly, and part of this means genuinely asking and listening to the voices of children in Redbridge. This collaborative art is a great example of this, and is something the whole community can enjoy as they go about their day on Ilford Lane.”

A further six-storey mural will soon be finished further along the road, which will celebrate the creativity of the textiles retailers, and the beautiful materials and outfits which are sold at numerous shops in the area.