Restoration of Southwark Park Caryatids

We had a fantastic unveiling in Southwark Park this morning to celebrate the restoration of the Caryatids. Many local residents and supporters attended the event, alongside Southwark College and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and Mayor of Southwark Sunny Lambe.

There were speeches from Dr Nicola Stacey, local resident Gary Magold, Cabinet Member for Parks and Culture, Councillor Ellie Cumbo and Mayor Sunny Lambe. 

Young people spoke about their experiences being part of HOLT’s Proud Places programme, the importance of learning about local heritage and how it has helped them feel connected to their new country.

Omar, aged 17: “My name is Omar and I am from Sudan. I’m part of the Proud Places programme. I enjoyed learning about the history of our sculptures and how they were part of old Rotherhithe Town Hall. My favourite part was hearing the stories behind them. Learning about our local history is very important because it helps us understand how our community has changed. Look at them – they are beautiful!”

Ribbons around each statue were cut by pupils from Southwark College and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School alongside the Mayor.

Over 170 young people have been involved in the restoration process as part of Proud Places, meeting the stonemasons at work.

The caryatids were sculpted in 1897 by Henry Poole and stood either side of the doorway to Rotherhithe Town Hall on Neptune Street, a grand Victorian civic building later converted into a library in 1905.

During the Second World War the building was bombed six times, leaving it badly damaged. The caryatids were rescued and in 1974 found a new home on the brutalist Heygate Estate off New Kent Road.

When that estate was demolished in 2011, the statues were moved again to Southwark Park, after a campaign led by Gary Magold.

We are thrilled that they have been fully restored for future generations to enjoy. Thanks to all involved and especially to our donors for this project, Knight Frank. 

Proud Places reaches 10,000!

Last night we celebrated 10,000 young people through our Proud Places programme at a wonderful event hosted by Jones Day. The room was filled with many Londoners of all ages who have supported the programme over the past five years.

After speeches from our Chair, Sir Laurie Magnus, HOLT Trustee and Partner at Jones Day, John Phillips, Dr Nicola Stacey, Ife Davies and our Proud Places Ambassador Destine Royce Pinzi, a spectacular Proud Places cake was cut by the 10,000th young person to join our programme, Scarlett Spencer.

Gilder Cody Deane and stonemason Max Lawson gave guests a chance to get up close to their traditional skills and to take home their own gold leaf memento.

The Jones Day Foundation has funded the programme since its 2020 inception and with their support we’ve reached our target of 10,000 young people across London involved in site visits, creative and heritage projects. We’ve led over 240 visits or workshops since January alone.

That work is about to grow in a big way. In May 2026 a new Proud Places Hub will open at One Golden Lane in partnership with developer Castleforge. This new cultural space for workshops will occupy the heritage part of the old Cripplegate Institute, offering young people creative learning and support that helps opens doors to future careers. In the spirit of the building’s philanthropic origins, the Hub will be a place to learn, make and explore, where heritage meets community and young people can build confidence and belonging.

Our thanks to the Jones Day Foundation for their continued support, the wonderful Jones Day team who work closely with us and to Castleforge for an amazing new opportunity. Thanks to Futurecity for all their work on this project. We're super proud of this milestone and excited for what comes next.

Read about the Proud Places Hub in the press here.

Restoration of Brooklands Estate mural

We were delighted that so many local residents, parents and children joined us at Brooklands Primary School in Blackheath, for the unveiling of the newly restored and relocated Brooklands Estate mural.

The ribbon was cut by pupils from Brooklands Primary School alongside HOLT and Royal Borough of Greenwich.

The school children had been involved in the restoration process through HOLT's Proud Places programme, meeting Fritzi von Preussen from Temple Studios. They created their own murals with him, using similar methods to those used in the Brooklands Estate mural.

The Brooklands Estate mural was completed in 1958 by artist William Mitchell (1925 - 2020). It is made of 13 carved hardboard panels, which Mitchell cut to fit on-site at its original location - the village hall clubroom of the Brooklands Park Estate.

The clubroom is being demolished to provide space for new Royal Borough of Greenwich social housing, and the mural was rescued. The Brooklands mural has been set into a bespoke timber frame, matching its clubroom layout, and reinstalled in the main hall of Brooklands Primary School for future generations.