8 Public Artworks in England You’ll Think About Long After Scrolling
Content warning: Which one is your favorite?
From a glowing greenhouse built from stained glass to murals that blend realism and fantasy, these artworks from across England show how public art can transform the everyday into something unforgettable. Each piece turns walls, walkways, and structures into imaginative portals.
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1. Close-Up Portrait — Abraham.O in London, England
A grayscale portrait of a woman, painted across metal doors, captures fine emotional detail. The reflections, moisture, and gaze all contribute to a striking sense of realism.
3. Free Range Eggxaggeration — WOSKerski in Shoreditch, London, England
A playful trompe-l’oeil piece showing a fried egg melting on a white cloth hung on a line. The surreal concept and painterly skill make this wall hard to forget.
More by WOSKerski!: 9 Times WOSKerski Made UK Walls Feel Like Glitches in Reality
3. Stained Glass Greenhouse — Location Unknown, England
This greenhouse structure is constructed entirely from stained-glass windows salvaged from decommissioned churches. Lit from inside, the piece glows like a sacred space reimagined in a modern urban context.
More photos!: Stunning Stained Glass Greenhouse Transforms London’s Streets into a Living Work of Art
4. The Painted Lady — Jim Vision in Beeston, England
A woman’s face dissolves into blossoms and butterflies across a full house façade. Painted in vibrant tones, this mural evokes natural transformation and beauty.
More photos!: The Painted Lady – By Jim Vision In Beeston, UK (4 photos)
5. Springer Spaniel — Spacehop (Jeff Evans) in Exeter, England
A spaniel is seamlessly integrated into the slope and wall under Exe Bridge. The stairs frame the painting in a way that makes the dog appear to be peeking at passersby.
More photos!: Springer Spaniel painted on Exe Bridge (5 photos)
6. We’re All in the Same Boat — Banksy in Lowestoft, England
Three children in paper hats appear to “sail” on a storm drain arch, accompanied by the message “We’re all in the same boat.” It’s classic Banksy—blending wit with social commentary.
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7. Oxygen Tree — Dr. Love in Bristol, England
A person in a hospital gown walks barefoot while connected to an oxygen tank shaped like a real potted tree. Painted on a public wall, the living moss adds urgency to the environmental message.
8. Reflection Eye — My Dog Sighs in Eccleston, Lancashire, England
A large eye stares outward from a wall, with the pupil reflecting a cobbled path and a figure in the distance. The green and blue textures around the eye give a sense of tears or time.
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Which one is your favorite?
Buildings That Look Like They’re From a Dream (8 Photos)
From a church in Iceland that looks like a spaceship preparing for launch, to a house zipped open on a street in Milan — this collection showcases architecture at its most imaginative. Included are cliffside wartime refuges, storybook cottages, optical illusions, and centuries-old constructions that defy gravity or blend perfectly into mountains. These aren’t digital renderings — they’re real places from around the world.
More: 8 Beautiful Artworks That Seem to Grow From Nature
1. Unzipped Building — Alex Chinneck in Milan, Italy
A building facade appears to peel open like a jacket, with an oversized zipper curling away the wall to reveal its inner structure. This public installation by Alex Chinneck uses stone, concrete, and illusion to challenge how we perceive architecture.
2. King Alfred’s Tower — England
This red-brick triangular tower rises dramatically from the fog in Somerset, England. Built in 1772, it commemorates Alfred the Great and reaches over 49 meters high with a narrow footprint that adds to its illusion of impossibility.
3. Alpine Refuge — Monte Cristallo, Italy
Located at 2,760 meters in the Dolomites, this hidden wooden shelter from World War I is embedded directly into the rockface. Built for survival, it now appears like a dreamlike relic barely distinguishable from the mountain.
4. Hallgrímskirkja Church — Reykjavík, Iceland
This iconic Lutheran church, inspired by basalt columns and volcanic formations, dominates the Reykjavík skyline. Designed in 1937 and completed in 1986, its symmetry and scale evoke science fiction architecture.
5. The House That Sank — The Crooked House, UK
Built in 1765 on top of a mine shaft, this British pub developed a pronounced tilt as the ground beneath it slowly gave way. Despite its slanting angles, it remained a local favorite for centuries.
6. Organic Slate Roof House — Germany
This home with flowing lines and a wave-shaped slate roof blurs the line between fairy tale and high-end eco-architecture. Natural stone and soft curves give it a whimsical yet grounded appearance.
7. Cliff House — France (Built 1347)
Balanced between eras and gravity, this timber-framed upper house sits atop massive medieval stonework. Located in France and completed in 1347, it seems to hover above the road with support beams stretching underneath.
8. Rock-Built Homes — Sanaa, Yemen
Traditional Yemeni tower houses in Sanaa rise directly from the rock, combining ancient stone masonry with ornate white geometric window frames. The buildings appear both sculpted by nature and intricately human-made.These buildings bend our expectations of what architecture can be — not just structures, but expressions of ingenuity, adaptation, and creativity. Whether carved into mountains or dressed like zippers, they show that the line between surreal and real is thinner than it seems.
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Which one is your favorite?
