A painter has produced a nine metre work of art to showcase the best the town has to offer.

David Thompson, 77, created a mural displaying the multicultural diversity and rich historical heritage of Gravesend.

The Gravesend Mural, along with other works, went on display at the Woodville, in Woodville Place, Gravesend. More than 200 people attended.

Mr Thompson is a native of south London, but since moving to Gravesend 30 years ago, he has developed a passion for the area.

He came up with the idea while developing a piece for the gurdwara in Saddington Street, Gravesend.

He said:“I’d been doing quite a large piece of work for the gurdwara about four or five years ago and it was a similar sort of idea.

“It was a painting displaying the gurdwara and various figures in the background and that made me think why not do a similar thing with Gravesend.”

He wanted the art to represent the varied cultural population.

He said: “The former mayor Tanmanjeet Dhesi, made a significant point at the exhibition when he said it was an inclusive piece of work that included all the cultures in Gravesend.

“I thought he quite encapsulated what the whole work was about – it’s about everyone in Gravesend, all the different faiths.

“The foreground of the mural has people of all races you can think of.”

The mural also displays some of Gravesend’s most loved buildings – the Old Town Hall on High Street, the Clock Tower on Harmer Street, St Andrew’s Church on Royal Pier Road, Cobham Hall, Cobham, and the Gurdwara.

Traditional in style, the painting portrays a Gravesend of a different age with the hustle and bustle of the town’s industry and community life playing a key role.

The painter plans to take his exhibition on the road, around Kent and then to London to promote Gravesend and increases tourism to the town, which he believes has a lot to offer.

Mr Thompson said: “We have wonderful buildings like Cobham Hall and the new Gurdwara and things people would never even look at.

“The Hans Eguibe is a three masted schooner down at Higham Reach, which people probably don’t even know about.”