A wall in Andover town centre which became an unlikely local landmark following the mysterious arrival of a piece of street art more than three years ago has entered a new chapter, with young people helping to transform the space through a major community art project.
The new mural on Chantry Street has been created by Winchester-based artist Kezia Hoffman working alongside young people from Andover Young Carers, Breakout Youth and Yellow Brick Road.
Commissioned by Test Valley Borough Council, the artwork explores themes including community, kindness, identity and belonging, with ideas and drawings produced by the young people helping to shape the finished design.
But the story of the wall stretches back to the early hours of 4 July 2023.
An unexpected piece of street art appeared on Chantry Street showing a police officer interacting with a teddy bear. The work was believed to be by anonymous street artist Hendog and quickly attracted attention from residents.
Test Valley Borough Council subsequently moved to protect the artwork with clear acrylic sheets while considering how best to preserve it.
Despite attempts to protect the piece, damp within the wall caused the artwork to deteriorate, with the council later acknowledging that its condition had worsened faster than expected because of the underlying damp problems.
Rather than allowing the story of the wall to end there, a new public art project was developed, building on the popularity and legacy of the Hendog artwork.
The latest mural has been developed through a series of creative workshops with young people from Andover Young Carers, Breakout Youth and Yellow Brick Road.
Participants explored subjects including community, kindness, identity and belonging, working closely with Kezia Hoffman to develop a design based around their own experiences and ideas.
On 26 September, young people from all three groups came together to help paint the mural, bringing the designs developed during the workshops onto the Chantry Street wall.
The finished artwork includes birds, a fox, a child with brightly coloured wings and a teddy bear, alongside the words: “Kind bear seeks kind community.”
Further along the wall, a larger piece brings several of the characters together around a table.
For those familiar with the history of the site, the teddy bear also provides a visual connection to the Hendog artwork which first brought widespread attention to the wall in 2023.
Councillor Iris Andersen, ward member for Andover St Mary’s, said:
“This project has given local young people an opportunity to help create a piece of public art in the heart of Andover, inspired by the Hendog artwork. Their ideas sit at the centre of the mural, and the result is a thoughtful and imaginative artwork that celebrates kindness, inclusion and belonging.
“It’s also a great example of how creativity can enhance public spaces, bring people together and help make our town centre an even more welcoming place for residents and visitors.”
Artist Kezia Hoffman said:
“From the beginning, this project was about listening to young people and creating something together. The ideas they shared about acceptance, community and finding your place in the world were thoughtful, imaginative and honest, and those ideas became the foundation of the mural.
“It was fantastic to see the young people come together to help paint the artwork and watch their ideas come to life. I hope it encourages people to pause, look closely and reflect on the importance of belonging and connection.”
The connection between the new mural and the original Hendog artwork is deliberate, rather than simply two separate pieces of street art occupying the same area.
Test Valley Borough Council has described the project as building on the popularity of the Hendog artwork and exploring how creativity can breathe new life into underused spaces while giving local people an opportunity to influence the appearance and character of their town centre.
One local resident who recently returned to the wall said they had initially been surprised to discover how much the area had changed.
They said other artists had continued adding to the space and described the changing wall as another chapter in the story started by Hendog.
The resident reflected: “Maybe that is the nature of street art. It changes, it fades and eventually somebody else adds the next chapter.”
They added: “In a strange way, the Hendog piece may have achieved more by inspiring other people than it ever would have done sitting permanently behind Perspex.”
The Chantry Street mural is now the latest addition to Andover’s growing collection of public art and forms part of wider regeneration efforts aimed at improving the town centre, celebrating its character and encouraging residents and visitors to spend more time in its public spaces.
What began with an anonymous piece of artwork appearing unexpectedly in 2023 has therefore developed into something much bigger.
The original Hendog piece encouraged people to stop and notice a part of Andover they might otherwise have walked straight past. More than three years later, the same space is giving a new generation of local people the opportunity to leave their own creative mark on the town.
In that sense, while the original paint may have deteriorated, the legacy of Hendog’s Andover artwork continues.