Designed with landscape and design practice Wayward for Barnet Council, the four ‘Waylamps’ combine public art, wayfinding, lighting and seating.
Part of Light + Flight, Barnet’s 2026 cultural programme and presented by Art in Barnet. each is positioned along the 125 bus route and combines public art, wayfinding, lighting and seating – together acting as visible beacons, route-finders, places to sit and meeting points.
Each artwork uses a repurposed lamppost, integrates a photovoltaic panel to power the lighting and stands on a substantial boulder base.
Their designs draw on local stories, characters and the heritage of the area, shaped through neighbourhood walks, conversations with residents, workshops and archive research. The design language itself draws on the work of film director and pioneering silhouette animator Lotte Reiniger – known for her expressive use of cut-outs, colour and shadow – and illustrator W Heath Robinson, known for his playful lamppost drawings and improbable inventions – both of whom had connections to the borough.
Each Waylamp is also named after a figure connected to Barnet – Reiniger herself, suffragist Muriel Matters, writer and comedian Spike Milligan and Agnes Slocombe, Barnet’s first Black Mayor.
An accompanying free illustrated map, field guide and activity book are available online encouraging people to journey across the borough.
Funding for the project came from a Cultural Impact Award, part of the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture programme, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England.
Architect’s view
We wanted to make objects that people could use, recognise and feel part of. The stories came from walking and talking with residents, and from the puppets they made with us. Seeing those drawings become permanent silhouettes gives the Waylamps, a very direct connection to the people who live here. Each one is a place to sit, find your bearings and follow your curiosity. Together, they invite people to wander across Barnet and see old stories in a new light.
Andre Kong, founder, andre kong studio
Client views
Waylamps of Barnet is part of Light + Flight, a new, borough-wide cultural programme unfolding across 2026 which is supported by a Cultural Impact Award, part of the Mayor of London’s London Borough of Culture programme, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Arts Council England. Light + Flight brings together artists, communities, and local stories, culminating in a free, multi-day arts and heritage festival. Across public spaces, cultural venues, universities, and community settings, the programme is shining a light on what makes Barnet distinctive and celebrating the borough’s hidden stories, diverse communities, and the next generation of talent.
Waylamps of Barnet is the result of an open call run by Barnet Council as part of the Light + Flight programme and won by award-winning practice Wayward with andre kong studio. The competition brief responded to feedback from resident engagement: that Barnet has a rich heritage, which is too often hidden or unknown, that people identify with their own neighbourhood rather than with the borough as a whole. Wayward and andre kong studio responded beautifully to this challenge. The striking Waylamps and accompanying map mark places of local significance, celebrate what makes Barnet distinctive, and help connect the two sides of the borough across its green heart.
Stretching from Colindale to North Finchley and connected by the 125 bus route, the trail combines these four new landmarks with a free illustrated map and field guide, encouraging people to journey across the borough, uncover hidden histories, and experience familiar places in new ways.
Barnet Council Arts & Culture Team
Waylamps of Barnet: A Heritage Discovery Trail is a wonderful example of how creativity can help us see our borough differently. Created with residents and rooted in local history, the Waylamps reflect the spirit of Light + Flight by bringing together art, heritage, and community in a way that is imaginative, welcoming, and accessible to everyone. We hope people of all ages will enjoy discovering something new about Barnet and about the places they call home.
Cllr Anne Clarke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Arts, and Sport at Barnet Council
Elevations of the ‘Waylamps of Barnet’
Source: andre kong studio and Wayward
Project data
Location London Borough of Barnet, London
Start on site August 2026 (off-site fabrication June 2026)
Completion date August 2026
Form of contract Traditional
Construction cost Undisclosed
Architect/designer andre kong studio and Wayward
Client Barnet Council
Commissioner Barnet Council, Art in Barnet
Structural engineering London Structures Lab
Fabrication Richard Hackney
Map of Waylamps of Barnet
Source: andre kong studio and Wayward
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