A brilliant new mural has been painted opposite Charlton station, marking 100 years since the Addicks first played at the Valley.

Aimed at helping local people take pride in their area and brightening up the railway bridge, the mural commemorates Charlton Athletic's centenary at the stadium in 2019.

Local artists Lionel Stanhope and Zara Gaze spent two days working on the mural, which depicts Charlton in red and white and also directs visitors and tourists to the ground.

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Mr Stanhope's colourful artwork is well-known across south east London, with creations in Plumstead, Brockley, Catford and Chislehurst.

He said: "It's a nice thing to do. The colours are really going to brighten up this little stretch outside the station.”

Th artists also included a small tribute to Seb Lewis, the Addick superfan who died last week after contracting coronavirus.

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Seb attended 1,076 consecutive Charlton games both home and away, a run that began in 1998, and Zara added a little strip of text reading 'SEB 1076' to complete the mural.

The project has been paid for by the Charlton Athletic Museum, a self-funded, volunteer initiative with a mission to preserve and celebrate the heritage of the club.

In an interview on the club's website, Ben Hayes of Charlton Athletic Museum said they had wanted to "do something to mark the centenary of the Valley but at the same time brighten up the area."

“The Valley has a special place in Charlton fans’ hearts for many reasons. Nearly all fans love their own stadium but what makes The Valley special is that it was dug out in 1919 by fans, one of whom was Bob Sims, my great uncle, and players," he explained.

“And then in the 1980s and 90s when we were forced to leave the fans, along with Roger Alwen and the other directors, fought to bring us home. The Valley is Charlton and Charlton is the Valley.”

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Speaking about commissioning the project, Mr Hayes said: "I drink in the Radical Club in Plumstead before games, so always see Lionel's work by Plumstead station and thought it would work perfectly at Charlton, Eddie Burton at Network Rail was really helpful and Lionel was keen from the start."

Ben added: “We hope it helps local people take pride in their area. It certainly brightens up what was a bit of a drab railway bridge.

"The football club played a major part in reviving the local community just after World War One when the Valley opened and the sign is one way of that.”

If you're a fan of the mural and want to help chip in towards the museum’s costs, you can send donations via PayPal to cafchistorian@gmail.com, or contact the museum for bank details.