Restoration of Foxborough Gardens murals

We were delighted to unveil two more William Mitchell murals yesterday alongside local people living on the Foxborough Gardens Estate in Lewisham, school children and Lewisham Council.

There were speeches from HOLT Director, Dr Nicola Stacey, the Speaker for Lewisham, Cllr Jacqueline Paschoud, Chair of Foxborough Gardens Tenants' and Residents Association, John Keidan and a ribbon cutting ceremony.

"It's wonderful to see art for everyone and I was really impressed by people being seen as needing both bread and roses – it’s a real shame there isn’t more social housing with art now!"

– Carol Gibbons, North London resident 

Over 240 young people have been involved in the restoration through HOLT’s Proud Places youth engagement programme. They learned about William Mitchell’s practice and visited the conservators at work. Children from Beecroft Garden Primary School were able to help paint the concrete mural.

The 1960s murals are located inside the entrances of each of the two tower blocks. One mural is made from offcuts of wood and bits of old furniture – such as banisters, dado rails and picture frames – arranged and glued to a baseboard to make a mosaic. The other mural is made from concrete (poured concrete into a clay matrix) and is more purely abstract. The concrete mural was painted in bright colours in subsequent decades.

"It's totally transformed the place having these restored, they are so vibrant now! It's been a wonderful occasion and so lovely to see the school children here!"

– Alison, local resident

Both murals were in poor repair. The timber mural was removed from site and sanded down to remove the damaged varnish, revealing the grain of the wood and original designs hidden underneath. The losses were filled with newly cut pieces of wood, using moulds from the original shapes, and the panels oiled. Restoration was carried out by Temple Studios.

The concrete mural was carefully restored to remove the many years of old layers of paint. Losses and cracks were filled and it was repainted. Restoration was carried out by Taylor Pearce Ltd. 

Heritage of London Trust worked with the Foxborough Gardens Tenants and Residents Association with funding also from the Pilgrim Trust.

Read more about the project in the press here.

Restoration of Kingston Drinking fountains

Yesterday we celebrated the unveiling of the Victoria Recreation Ground drinking fountain in Kingston with local residents and Kingston Council.

There were speeches from HOLT Director Dr Nicola Stacey and Mayor Cllr Noel Hadjimichael. 

The Mayor cut the ribbon and filled the first bottle of fresh water from the fountain for many years.

Local residents and council members joined the celebration in support of the project:

“It’s lovely to see it restored and people can use it again. It looks fabulous. I think it’s great after being not in use for so many years. And I really hope it’s used and I’m sure it will be, especially in the summer. To think we used it as children, and my husband as well! It’s just nice to see it up and working again. Brilliant.”

—June, local resident of Kingston borough

Cllr Yogan Yoganathan also commented:

"The Victoria Recreation Ground is very unique to me. We look after it. We are doing excellent developments, new cafes and walkways—we have to be inclusive. People were telling me they're struggling because in summertime, families come through. It's part of community, children and lifting up everything.”

The fountain is Heritage of London Trust's 18^th drinking fountain restoration to date. HOLT and Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames have also restored the King Edward Recreation ground fountain back to working order, see more of our fountain restorations here.

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.

Read more about the project in the press here.