Luke Horton brings Sheffield art to Supertram

A new bespoke mural has been unveiled at Supertram’s depot, creating a more welcoming space for colleagues, visitors and contractors while celebrating our connection to Sheffield and South Yorkshire.

Supertram commissioned local Sheffield artist Luke Horton to create the mural, working closely with colleagues to bring together the people, values, engineering expertise and heritage that make up our depot team.

The mural features a range of recognisable Sheffield and Supertram references, including tram designs from the past, present and future, alongside local landmarks and the values that are important to our engineering family.

Nikolas Dobbs, Head of Engineering at Supertram, said:
“We wanted the mural to represent our engineering family at the depot and reflect the values across cleaning, facilities, engineering, infrastructure, rolling stock, projects, and stores.

“It was also important to us that we kept that strong connection to South Yorkshire, particularly Sheffield. Supertram has been an important part of the city for more than three decades, so we wanted the mural to reflect that history and our place within the community.

“Luke took our ideas and turned them into a really striking visualisation. It also links with artwork he’s created across the city, including designs on one of our trams and the bin wraps, developed for Sheffield City Council.
 

Tram 121 with window designs from Luke Horton.

“A big thank you to Luke. The outcome is brilliant.

“The key words featured throughout the mural represent the values of our engineering family, while the spanner symbolises passing knowledge and experience on to the next generation.”

 Luke Horton with Supertram colleagues.

For Luke, bringing together Supertram’s story and the city he grew up in was an important part of the design.

He said:

“The inspiration for the design came from the team, ethics and values within the engineering family at Supertram. The trams are icons of the city, and people appreciate the service Supertram provides, so it was important to include some of Sheffield’s other iconic landmarks too. As a local lad, it was only right to include these.

“We captured the history of Supertram through the liveries from the past, present and future. This includes the new molten orange livery as part of the transport vision for the South Yorkshire People’s Network. The older designs are recognisable and can take you back to your own memories of getting on the trams.

“My favourite detail is the values because they’re an overlayer that adds so much. You can look at the mural from afar and it tells a story, but when you get closer, you can read the values that tie everything together.

“I had fun creating the mural. After the briefing with the Supertram team, I brought all the elements together to see how they would work. Coming in to see it in person has been marvellous. It’s so vibrant and really does the job.”

Luke Horton and Nikolas Dobbs at Supertram Depot

Colleagues came together to celebrate the reveal, with branded cupcakes featuring the new mural design adding an extra special touch to the occasion.

Supertram x Luke Hortin cupcakes

From long-standing colleagues to our newest team members

The mural was also designed to reflect the people who make up the Supertram team, from colleagues who have been here for decades to those who are just starting their careers.

Paul, Rolling Stock Supervisor, who has been with Supertram for 33 years, said:

“It’s a great representation of what it’s like here and it’s absolutely fantastic. We’re all glad to be a part of it, so thank you.”

AJ, who has been with Supertram for almost 1 year, said:

“It’s been good so far. Everyone’s been welcoming, the work is good and everyone seems to get on well.”

Those sentiments were shared by John, Infrastructure Supervisor, who has 22 years’ service, and Darren, Cleaner, who has been with Supertram for 21 years.

 

The mural is now welcoming everyone who comes through the depot reception, bringing a little more of Sheffield’s creativity and Supertram’s story into our workplace.

Find out more about murals across the Supertram network: Netherthorpe Road mural