BBCA woman living in Devon says her house has been transformed by a colourful artwork.
Diana Sparkes named her property in Plymouth ‘Toad Hall’ when she moved in about 12 years-ago.
She explained how she has “always loved good graffiti” and wanted the front of her home to resemble a scene from book The Wind in the Willows.
Ms Sparkes said the mural, completed in September 2023, has brightened up the area.
“I named the house Toad Hall because the River Tamar runs at the back of my property. At high tide, the water comes right up the wall,” said the 83-year-old.
“I have always loved good graffiti. I frequently do graffiti puzzles online.”
Ms Sparkes said the idea was formed after she saw the stag mural on the side of Morley Court in Plymouth’s west end, which she described as “magnificent”.
From there, she tracked down the graffiti artist, Jordan Lauder, from SpraySaint, who has created many paintings across the country.
Ms Sparkes explained: “The initial design was not what I wanted, so I sent him information and illustrations from The Wind in the Willows.
“He added the willows, the countryside and the stream and it turned out to be a magnificent frontage for the property.
She described the artist as “very talented” and that the entire mural only took about six hours to complete.
‘People love it’
“I put chairs out for him so he could have a cup of tea and some bacon butties. It was very exciting indeed,” she said.
“Most people in the area love it. I would certainly encourage people to have a mural done.
“I do not see any point in a plain-fronted house if you can have an artist do something spectacular.”
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