Brixton murals facts for kids

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

The Brixton murals are a collection of large paintings found on walls in the Brixton area of London. Local artists created most of these murals. Many were paid for by the Lambeth London Borough Council and the Greater London Council. This happened after some big events in Brixton in 1981.

These murals show important messages about politics, community, and different ideas. Some of them are now quite old and need repair. A few have even disappeared over time.

The murals that are still around are close enough to walk between them.

Amazing Brixton Murals

Murals You Can Still See

• Slade Gardens Adventure Playground Mural, on Lorn Road. This mural was painted in 1982 by Gordon Wilkinson and Sarah Faulkner. It shows the people who worked and played at the adventure playground. It's like a photo from the past, showing the buildings, playground, and local people.

• Stockwell War Memorial, on Stockwell Road. Brian Barnes painted this in 2001. He got help from children at Stockwell Park School. It's on the outside of a special underground shelter entrance. The mural features famous people from Stockwell, like Violette Szabo and Vincent van Gogh. It also remembers local people who died in wars. Time Out magazine called this one of London's top 10 murals.

• Brixton Academy Mural, on Stockwell Park Walk. Stephen Pusey created this mural in 1981 and finished it in 1982. You can find it on the back of the Brixton Academy building. It was painted after the 1981 events in Brixton. The mural shows a group of young people from different backgrounds having fun together. It was meant to show how well children from different groups got along in local schools. It's one of London's biggest murals, measuring about 9 meters (30 feet) tall and 31 meters (104 feet) wide.

• Mural 1, Bellefields Road. This mural was painted in 1987 by London Wall Public Art. Lambeth Council and the GLC helped pay for it. It has many clues about the area. For example, there's a bell for Bellefields Road and a pile of bricks for Brixton. It also shows symbols of the local recreation center and an old theater.

• Mural 2, Bellefields Road. London Wall Public Art painted this mural in 1988. They had help from local artists Eugene Palmer and John Saward. It shows a fun seaside scene. Lambeth Council, the GLC, and BP helped fund it.

• Brixton railway station Murals 1 and 2. These two murals were painted by Anchor Designs, a team of two local artists, Karen Smith and Angie Biltcliffe. They painted many other murals in the area. Lambeth Council funded their work.

• Nuclear Dawn, on Coldharbour Lane. Brian Barnes and Dale McCrea painted this mural between 1980 and 1981. Christine Thomas also helped. It shows a giant skeleton standing over London as a nuclear bomb seems to destroy the city. This mural shows the feelings about world events at the time. It also shows people in a bunker while chaos happens above ground. Parts of the mural were updated in the early 1980s.

• Big Splash, on Glenelg Road. Christine Thomas designed and painted this mural in 1985. Dave Bangs and Diana Leary helped her. You can find it where Glenelg Road and Strathleven Road meet. It tells the story of the hidden River Effra that flows underground. It also remembers the women who worked at the Doulton factory in Lambeth. Many of the people in the mural were local residents. Time Out magazine recently listed it as one of their top 10 London murals.

• Mauleverer Road Mural. Jane Gifford, Ruth Blench, Mick Harrison, and Caroline Thorp created this mural in 1983. It was inspired by the beautiful Brockwell Park Garden.

• The Windmill Mural, on Lyham Road. Positive Arts created this mural in May 2012. The Heritage Lottery Fund helped pay for it. It's based on an older Windmill mural from 1983 by Mick Harrison and Caroline Thorp, which had become damaged and faded. Both murals tell the story of Brixton's Windmill. It's the only windmill still standing in central London.

• The Boat, at St George's Residence on Railton Road. You can see it from Effra Parade. This mural was recently found again. People believe the London Wall Mural Group painted it in 1988. Now, many plants grow in front of it, making it hard to see clearly.

• In 2018, an artist known as Dreph finished a large mural of Michele Obama in Dorrell Place.

Murals That Are Gone

The murals listed above can still be seen. However, some other murals are no longer there.

• This mural on Rushcroft Road has almost completely disappeared. Only a small corner is still visible. It was called "Peace" and was painted in 1983 by Dale McCrea. It was part of a special year for peace.

• This mural was called Golden Garden. The London Wall Art Group designed it. It used to be on Coldharbour Lane. The Brixton branch of Woolworths asked for it to cover windows damaged during the 1981 events. It was paid for by the Dept. of Environment and Lambeth Council. A shop called "Joy" is now in that spot.

• This mural was painted on Vining Street. It was covered up by new buildings, just like the Rushcroft Road mural. You can still see a few inches of it on the left side. It was called "War" and Pauline Harding painted it in 1983. It was also part of the special year for peace.

Brixton Murals Gallery

These murals can still be seen in Brixton.

• 

  Slade Gardens Mural

• 

  Stockwell War Memorial

• 

  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