Brixton murals

Big Splash, on Glenelg Road (London, SW2) by Christine Thomas, assisted by Dave Bangs and Diana Leary – 1985.

The Brixton murals are a series of murals by local artists in the Brixton area, in London. Most of the murals were funded by Lambeth London Borough Council and the Greater London Council 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.^[1]

Brixton murals history

• Slade Gardens Adventure Playground Association Mural,^[2] 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,^[3] Stockwell Road by Brian Barnes — 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 Szabo and Vincent van Gogh. 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.^[4] Controversy surrounded the mural in 2005, when Brian Barnes added a painting of Jean Charles de Menezes ^[5] to the memorial which was removed soon after.
• Brixton Academy Mural,^[6] Stockwell Park Walk, by Stephen Pusey — 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,^[7] 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.^[8]
• Mural 2,^[9] 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 BP.
• Brixton railway station Murals 1 and 2 ^[10] 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,^[11] Coldharbour Lane by Brian Barnes and Dale McCrea. This mural was painted between 1980 and 1981. It depicts a giant skeleton standing over London 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,^[12] Glenelg Road designed and painted 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 tells the story of the hidden River Effra and also references the women who worked at the Doulton factory in Lambeth. Many of the people in the mural were local residents. Recently, Time Out put it in their top ten London murals.^[13]
• Mauleverer Road Mural,^[14] by Jane Gifford, Ruth Blench, Mick Harrison and Caroline Thorp −1983. Inspired by Brockwell Park Garden.
• The Windmill Mural,^[15] Lyham Road by Positive Arts was created in May 2012 and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. It was based on the design of the previous Windmill mural ^[16] by Mick Harrison and Caroline Thorp which was created in 1983. This mural was badly damaged and had faded. Both murals 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. It now has many plants in front of it so it is hard to view.

Lost Brixton murals

The murals listed above can still be seen, but some murals are no longer there.^[17]

• 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.^[18]
• 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.^[19] 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.^[18]

Brixton murals gallery

These murals can still be seen in Brixton.^[20]

• 

  Slade Gardens Mural

• 

  Stockwell War Memorial

• 

  Brixton Academy Mural

• 

  Bellefields Rd. Mural 1

• 

  Bellefields Rd. Mural 2

• 

  Brixton Station Mural 1

• 

  Brixton Station Mural 2

• 

  Nuclear Dawn Mural

• 

  Splash Mural

• 

  Mauleverer Road Mural

• 

  Mauleverer Road Mural

• 

  The Original Windmill Mural

Notes

1. "Murals on Google Map". Maps.google.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
2. "Slade Gardens Adventure Playground Association Mural Photos". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
3. "Stockwell War Memorial Photographs". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
4. "Top Ten London Murals by Matt Brown, Time Out, Wed Jul 5 2006". Timeout.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
5. Archie Bland (2006-01-20). ""It's war on the memorial" by Archie Bland, The Guardian, Monday November 28, 2005". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
6. "Brixton Academy Mural Photos". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
7. "Mural 1 Photos". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
8. Painting the Town Red,Cedric Porter,South London Press, 15 May 1987
9. "Mural 2 Photos". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
10. "Brixton railway station Murals 1 and 2 Photos". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
11. "Nuclear Dawn Mural Photos". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
12. "Splash Mural Photos". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
13. "Top ten London murals". Timeout.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
14. "Mauleverer Road Mural Photos". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
15. "Brixton Windmill Mural Unveiling 06/06/2012 – a set on Flickr". Flickr.com. 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
16. "The Windmill Mural Photos". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
17. Photographs by seligr, 1987.
18. Murals in London-A Guide to Murals since 1976, Greenwich Mural Workshop, 1986
19. War of the Walls, Sarah-Jane Checkland, London Daily News, 28 May 1987
20. "Brixon Murals locations". Maps.google.com. Retrieved 2012-06-10.

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
• Positive Arts

External links

• Brixton Mural photographs on Flickr (tagged "brixtonmurals")
• An eye witness account by the 'We Want to Riot, Not To Work Collective', 1982, from Urban75
• London Mural Preservation Society