The Famous Faces mural in Monument Tyne and Wear Metro station, featuring well-known North East celebrities(Image: Nexus)

All the Famous Faces in Monument Metro station mural in Newcastle city centre on 30th anniversary

by · ChronicleLive

Take a look at photographs of the Famous Faces mural at the Monument Tyne and Wear Metro station on its 30th anniversary. The artwork features many well-known and much-loved personalities from the North East, and has been in Newcastle city centre since 1996.

It was painted by former coal miner and artist Bob Olley, showing fourteen of the region's most charismatic figures looking out of the train carriage. It was originally commissioned by Nexus through its Art on Transport Programme, and has been seen by millions of passengers over the years.

As you can see in the photos below, it features: Paul Gascoigne, Jimmy Nail, Sting, Cardinal Basil Hume, Mike Neville, Robson Green, Brian Johnson, Brendan Foster, Rowan Atkinson, Sir John Hall, Peter Beardsley, Dame Catherine Cookson, Tim Healy, and Jack Charlton.

Mr Olley created the mural while working as artist in residence at the Customs House in South Shields, and then Director General of the transport company Mike Parker, loved the piece so much that he put it in the busiest station on the Metro network.

In a film from 2021, Bob Olley said: He said: "I knew Mike quite well and thought if he’s opening the exhibition at the Customs House for me then I’d do a painting for Nexus in return. I decided this idea of a railway carriage called famous faces, which would be a Metro carriage with all these local celebrities on board.

People like Sting, Jimmy Nail, and the late Mike Neville, and when the exhibition was over with I was pleased to learn that the mural was going on permanent display at Monument Metro station, and it’s still there to this day. I would love to know how many people have seen it. It’s got to be in the millions.

"My family use Monument Metro station quite a lot and they always say that there’s always somebody looking at the mural and trying to identify who all the people are in the carriage. The family like fact that people say ‘oh, it was you’re dad who painted that one’, so it’s nice to have something there that as your legacy."

Lynne Dickinson, Station Delivery Manager at Nexus, added: "Famous Faces is one of the most popular works on the Metro system, and has been for the last three decades. The artwork depicts some of most famous celebrities from the region and was originally part of Bob Olley’s residency at the Customs House gallery in South Shields.

"We felt that it needed a wider and more permanent audience and so we acquired it for our Art on Transport Programme at Monument. It sits on one of the busiest stair cases on the Metro system and is seen by thousands of people each and every day."

Continue below to see photographs showing all of the North East celebrities who are featured in the Famous Faces artwork.

The Famous Faces mural in Monument Tyne and Wear Metro station, featuring well-known North East celebrities(Image: Nexus)
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Robson Green, actor, singer-songwriter and television presenter. From Hexham. Aged 61.(Image: Nexus)
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Brian Johnson, singer and songwriter. The third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC, taking over the role in 1980 after the death of Bon Scott. From Gateshead. Aged 78.(Image: Nexus)
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Sir Brendan Foster CBE, former long-distance runner, athletics commentator and road race organiser. He founded the Great North Run. From Hebburn. Aged 78.(Image: Nexus)
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Rowan Atkinson, comedian and actor and writer. Most noted for playing Mr Bean, Blackadder and Johnny English. From Consett. Aged 71.(Image: Nexus)
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The Famous Faces mural in Monument Tyne and Wear Metro station, featuring well-known North East celebrities(Image: Nexus)
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