Campaigners ‘thrilled’ after rare post-war mural saved
A key post-war mural, that was under threat of being demolished as part of a regeneration project on an estate, has been saved.
The artwork by William Mitchell, has adorned the walls of the Brooklands Community Centre in Blackheath’s Brooklands Park Estate since 1958.
But in February 2024, Greenwich council announced regeneration plans which would see the community centre bulldozed to make way for social housing.
Now, the mural will be preserved by Heritage of London Trust (Holt) and will be relocated to Brooklands Primary School which is also part of the estate, just 250m from the old clubroom.
Dr Nicola Stacey, director of HOLT, said: “So much of London’s 50s and 60s fantastic public art is under threat or neglected.
“We’re thrilled to have been able to rescue this mural and relocate it so perfectly. We look forward to a burgeoning interest in London’s wonderfully eclectic post war art.”
The announcement comes after a year of negotiations between HOLT, the Twentieth Century Society (C20 Society) and Greenwich council.
Greenwich Cabinet Member for Planning, Estate Renewal and Development Cllr Majid Rahman said: “From the time we learned of the cultural significance of this mural, located on a site where we are building much-needed new council homes, it has been our priority to protect and preserve it for future generations.
“We are delighted that with help from Heritage of London Trust and the Twentieth Century Society, this rare example of William Mitchell’s work will be restored and moved to a place where it can enrich the lives of young people in our borough.”
The Brooklands mural has been described as one of the best kept examples of Mr Mitchell’s early work.
It is made of 13 carved chipboard panels, which Mr Mitchell cut to fit on-site and drew the initial design onto them. The artist then routed out the design which he filled with a polyester resin, pigmented with colour.
The panels were then polished and fixed to the wall, creating a decorative surface that was resistant to wear or damage.
Catherine Croft, director of C20 Society said: “This mural shows the amazing William Mitchell at his most characteristically inventive – using cheap, everyday materials in an innovative and unexpected way to make a robust and accessible artwork.
“It’s been loved by many generations – and it’s great that it’s being sensitively restored and moved, not to an art gallery, but to a primary school where we’re sure it will delight and intrigue those who will see it on a daily basis, inspiring them to be creative too.”
Two other murals by Mr Mitchell, which decorate the bases of housing blocks in Lewisham, will also be restored by HOLT in 2025, the centenary of the artist’s birth.
Mr Mitchell produced several large-scale public murals and sculptures from the 1950s onwards.
He has 16 artworks listed on the national register, more than any other post-war artist, including the fibreglass reliefs on the doors of Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral, the iconic Egyptian Staircase in Harrods, and a striking mural in Mayfair’s Curzon Cinema.
Pictured top: William Mitchell mural in the Brooklands Park clubhouse (Picture: Historic England)
