Brixton murals
Encyclopedia
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s by local artists in the Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
area, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK. Most of the murals were funded by Lambeth London Borough Council
Lambeth London Borough Council
Lambeth London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Lambeth in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London...
and the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
after the Brixton riots in 1981.
The murals portray politics, community and ideas. Many are now in a state of disrepair and some are no longer there.
The remaining murals are within walking distance of each other.
Brixton murals history
- Slade Gardens Adventure Playground Association Mural,, Lorn Road by Gordon Wilkinson and Sarah Faulkner — 1982. This mural features the people who worked and played at the adventure playground. It is a snapshot in time of the surrounding buildings, playground structures and local residents.
- Stockwell War Memorial, Stockwell Road by Brian BarnesBrian Barnes (artist)Brian Barnes is an English artist. Brian Barnes was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2005 for services to the community in Battersea, London.-Life and work:...
— 2001. Painted on the exterior of the entrance to a deep level shelter, this mural was executed by Brian Barnes (with the assistance of children from Stockwell Park School). It features Stockwell's famous people such as Violette SzaboViolette SzaboViolette Reine Elizabeth Bushell Szabo, GC, was a Second World War French-British secret agent.-Early life and marriage:...
and Vincent Van GoghVincent van GoghVincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
. It also commemorates the locals who gave their life in the war. This mural was listed in Time Out as one of London's top ten murals.. Controversy surrounded the mural in 2005, when Brian Barnes added a painting of Jean Charles de MenezesJean Charles de MenezesJean Charles de Menezes was a Brazilian man shot in the head seven times at Stockwell tube station on the London Underground by the London Metropolitan police, after he was misidentified as one of the fugitives involved in the previous day's failed bombing attempts...
to the memorial which was removed soon after.
- Brixton Academy Mural, Stockwell Park Walk, by Stephen PuseyStephen PuseyStephen Pusey is an artist. After graduating from St Martins School of Art, UK, in 1975, Pusey created monumental public murals around London, including the Brixton Academy mural until the end of the decade. In 1986 he emigrated to New York, USA. Although his New York debut at P.S...
— 1982. This mural was created by Stephen Pusey in 1981 and completed in 1982. It is found on the back of the Brixton Academy building. The mural commission had been created on the back of the Brixton riots of 1981. It shows a mixed group of young people hanging out and having fun! It was to portray the natural racial harmony that could be found between the children in the local schools. It is painted in Keim Silicate and at 30 feet by 104 feet, it is one of London's biggest murals.
- Mural 1, Bellefields Road by London Wall Public Art — 1987. Funded by Lambeth Council and the GLC. It features lots of reference to the area such as a bell for Bellefields road and a pile of bricks for Brixton. There is also the symbol of the recreation centre and an old theatre featured in the mural.
- Mural 2, Bellefields Road by London Wall Public Art with the help of local artists Eugene Palmer and John Saward, painted in 1988. It features a seaside scene and was funded by Lambeth council, GLC and BPBPBP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
.
- Brixton railway stationBrixton railway stationBrixton Railway Station is a commuter railway station in the centre of Brixton, inSouth London, UK. It is on the Chatham Main Line which runs from London Victoria to Orpington. Trains are operated by Southeastern. The typical service is one train every 15 minutes in both directions.Brixton Railway...
Murals 1 and 2 These two Murals were painted by a mural partnership called Anchor Designs made up of two local artists Karen Smith and Angie Biltcliffe who painted many more murals in the borough and were funded by Lambeth Council.
- Nuclear Dawn, Coldharbour Lane by Brian Barnes and Dale McCrea. This mural was painted between 1980 and 1981. It depicts a giant skeleton standing over LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
whilst the nuclear bomb destroys the city. This mural reflects the politics of the day and features the Tory Party in a bunker as chaos reigns above ground. The bottom was restored in the early 80s By Brian Barnes and Christine Thomas who worked on the feet and Houses of Parliament. The people in the bunker were updated when the restoration was carried out.
- Big Splash, Glenelg Road (51.4588°N 0.1258°W) by Christine Thomas, assisted by Dave Bangs and Diana Leary — 1985. This mural can be found on the junction of Glenelg Road and Strathleven road. It was designed by Christine Thomas. It tells the story of the hidden River EffraRiver EffraThe River Effra is a river in south London, England. It is now mainly underground. The name cannot be traced back much earlier than 1840 , so speculation that it came from a Celtic word for torrent is unwarranted...
and also references the women who worked at the DoultonRoyal DoultonThe Royal Doulton Company is an English company producing tableware and collectables, dating to 1815. Operating originally in London, its reputation grew in The Potteries, where it was a latecomer compared to Spode, Wedgwood and Minton...
factory in Lambeth. Many of the people in the mural were local residents. Recently, Time Out put it in their top ten London murals.http://www.timeout.com/london/features/1647/1.html
- Mauleverer Road Mural , by Jane Gifford, Ruth Blench, Mick Harrison and Caroline Thorp -1983. Inspired by Brockwell Park Garden.
- The Windmill , Lyham Road by Mick Harrison and Caroline Thorp — 1983. This mural is very faded. Painted in the mid-eighties, it shows what can happen to these murals over time. The mural tells the history of Brixton's Windmill, the only inner city windmill still surviving in London.
- The Boat, St George's Residence on Railton Road, viewed from Effra Parade, was recently re-discovered. Believed to be painted by the London Wall Mural Group - 1988. Now has many plants in from of it so hard to view.
Lost Brixton murals
The murals listed above can still be seen, but some murals are no longer there.- This mural on Rushcroft Road has all but gone, with only a corner still visible. It is called 'Peace' and was painted in 1983 by Dale McCrea as part of the GLC for peace year.
- This mural called Golden Garden was designed by London Wall Art Group and could be found on Coldharbour Lane. It was commissioned by the Brixton branch of Woolworths to cover over riot damaged windows. The mural was funded by Dept. of Environment and Lambeth Council Partnership. That site is now occupied by a shop called 'Joy'.
- This mural was painted on Vining Street. It was covered up by the same housing development which obscured the Rushcroft Road mural. Several inches of the mural can still be seen on the left hand side of the mural. It is called 'War' and was painted in 1983 by Pauline Harding as part of the GLC for peace year.
Sources
- Researched by Ruth L. Miller — all information from archives, websites, interviews with Brixton locals and mural artists done in preparation for the Brixton Mural Walk on 2008-05-10.
- Christine Thomas
- Stephen Pusey
- Timeout
- Jean Charles de Menezes in Stockwell Memorial
- Lambeth Council
- Stockwell Park Slade Gardens
- Sarah Faulkner
External links
- Brixton Mural photographs on FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
(tagged "brixtonmurals") - An eye witness account by the 'We Want to Riot, Not To Work Collective', 1982, from Urban75Urban75Urban75 is a website and messageboard based in Brixton, England. It was founded in 1995 and includes various e-zine content, as well as bulletin boards. The site was founded and is currently run by Mike Slocombe.-History:Urban75 initially originated from a football comic that started in 1991...
- London Mural Preservation Society