AN unsightly bus depot wall has been transformed into an iconic piece of artwork.

Inspired by the Lindisfarne Gospels, the 20ft-high mural stretches the length of the Go North East bus depot in Chester le Street, County Durham.

Completed by Borders artist Ant Macari, the mural was originally designed to remove an eyesore along the A167.

It also happened at a time when the bus company was celebrating its centenary and when the Lindisfarne Gospels were touring the region.

The project was managed by Barnard Castle-based ARTworks in Teesdale, a charity that handles a variety of arts projects across the region.

Project manager Jill Cole said: “The concept began with the idea of improving an eyesore but has resulted in a major artwork which is cementing the region’s reputation for large scale art installations.

“The community was instrumental in selecting the final design which is a poignant reminder of the historical links between Chester-le-Street and the Gospels.”

The £15,000 transformation of the wall, next to the Picktree roundabout, was jointly funded by Go North East and the Chester-le-Street and District Area Action Partnership (AAP).

Artist Ant Macari said transferring the design on to the fabric of the wall had been extremely complex.

“Each of the five panels of the wall is a different height,” he said.

“We had to do a lot of mathematical calculations to ensure that the pattern looked the same from start to finish, but in reality the panel at the northern end is far smaller than the panel at the other end.”

Go North East marketing and sales manager Stephen King was delighted with the result.

He said: “This couldn’t have come at a better time as we are celebrating our centenary.”