Parliament Street Public Conveniences – A Fresh Chapter
Commissioned by the City of Westminster, 2025
Artwork: “Westminster Notes” by James Lambert
Photography: Dirk Linder
We’re delighted to have provided the tiles for this standout public project, with distinctive artwork overlays skillfully produced by Digital Ceramics.
Chosen for his lively, imaginative style, artist James Lambert [@james_lambert] was invited to create designs featuring patterned motifs that reflect the character of each site. The City of Westminster aimed to collaborate with an artist capable of delivering bold, graphic storytelling across multiple locations throughout the borough.
Working in close partnership with CAS Consultancy, Hugh Broughton Architects [@hba_london], and other key contributors, Lambert has been developing a series of artworks integrated into recently modernised sites.
The first of these, unveiled at Victoria Embankment in February 2025, set the tone for the programme. The second, revealed in August 2025, now enhances Parliament Street — a high-traffic location in the heart of Westminster.
At Parliament Street, the design fuses elements of authority and playfulness. Iconic Big Ben motifs and lines of toy soldiers combine national imagery with a touch of wit, while expressive hands allude to gestures of pointing, voting, and protest — a nod to Westminster’s civic and cultural energy, from suffragette marches to today’s tourists. Echoing the structural curves of Westminster Bridge and celebrating the historic vibrancy of Brocks Fireworks, the piece references both the Festival of Britain and centuries of public gatherings in Parliament Square.
The artwork channels the vitality of the location like a living circuit — dynamic, directional, and magnetic — visually connecting Parliament Street with Westminster Underground Station via the pedestrian underpass.
This project showcases what’s possible when craftsmanship, innovative design, and public storytelling come together, transforming a utilitarian space into a cultural landmark that reflects Westminster’s history and spirit.
James Lambert Video
The making of Westminster Notes is a short video commissioned by the City of Westminster. It shows the behind-the-scenes of artist James Lambert working on the art for Victoria Embankment, the first of eight public conveniences to be refurbished and include artwork by James Lambert.
