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Brixton Murals History

After the Brixton riots in 1981, Lambeth Council funded a series of murals by local artists in the area. The aim of this entry is to list these murals.

Not much seems to be recorded about these pieces but they are an amazing body of work, portraying politics, community and ideas. Unfortunately many are now in a state of disrepair and may soon be lost.

All the murals are within walking distance of each other and here is a map of the mural's locations

The Murals

• Slade Gardens Adventure Playground Association Mural, Lorn Road by unknown artist(s) - 1983. 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 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 Violet Szabo and Vincent Van Gogh. It also commemorates the locals who gave their life in the war.

• Brixton Academy Mural, Stockwell Avenue, by Stephen Pursey - 1982. This mural was created by Stephen Pursey in 1981 and completed in 1982. It is found on the back of the 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.

• 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 - 1988. It features a seaside scene and was funded by Lambeth council, GLC and BP.

• Brixton railway station Murals 1 and 2 by unknown artist(s)

• Nuclear Dawn, Coldharbour Lane by Brian Barnesand Christine Thomas who painted feet and Houses of Parliament- 1981. This amazing mural was painted by Brian Barnes between 1981 and 1982. An amazingly scary sight of a giant skeleton standing over London whilst the nuclear bomb destroys the city is enough to scare most people! This mural reflects the politics of the day and features the Tory Party in a bunker as chaos reigns above ground. Now badly faded, It is the mural which seems to capture people's imagination.

• Big Splash, Glenelg Road by Christine Thomas, assisted by Dave Bangs and Diane O'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 Effra River and also references the women who worked at the Lambeth Doulton. Many of the people in the mural were local residents. Recently Time Out put it in their top ten London murals!

• The Stables, Mauleverer Road by Jane Gifford & Ruth Bench and assisted by Jonathan Leckie and Ann Herdman - 1983. Inspired by Brockwell Park garden.
• The Windmill, Lyham Road by Mick Harrison and C Thorp - 1983. This mural is sadly 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.

Sources

• Urban 75 Brixton Mural Walk
• Researched by Ruth L. Miller - all information from archives, interviews with Brixton locals and mural artists done in preparation for the Brixton Mural Walk on 10/05/2008.
• Christine Thomas
• Stephen Pusey
• Stephen Pusey
• Brian Barnes
• Timeout
• Jean Charles de Menezes in Stockwell Memorial
• Lambeth Council
• Stockwell Park Slade Gardens

External Links

• Brixton Mural photos on Flickr (photos tagged -> brixtonmurals)

• Urban75 — An eye witness account by the 'We Want to Riot, Not To Work Collective', 1982