Mural

Fitzrovia Mural

Erection date: 1980

Inscription

{In the bottom left corner a waiter holds out a menu on which is written:}
Menu
Fitzrovia Mural, commissioned by Camden Council for the Fitzrovia community. Copyright 1980. Painted Art Works Co-op, Simon Barber, Mike Jones. Tel: 485 ???}

A montage of scenes, all relevant to the area at the time: construction activities, the Post Office tower, an angry cat, a TV screen advertising death-bringing cigarettes, footballers, some people around a table who are: ironing, reading a newspaper entitled Tower, reading a book and holding a pen (this is Dylan Thomas, apparently), Horace Cutler (then leader of the GLC) as a Dracula-like creature pointing at Council Hall plans for sky-scrapers, a window-cleaner, office workers using computer-like machines to churn out bills, a clockwork architect on roller-skates at a drawing board (we can't explain but it must be an interesting story), an innocent-looking boy, a tailor, a disk jockey, a man in a fur coat reaching for a stack of bank notes with dice and cards nearby, various men and women in non-European clothes, such as saris, some people in a pub, a man mixing a cocktail, people in a restaurant, nurses, one of whom is holding an umbrella over a pregnant woman getting into an ambulance, and the central section of traffic (pictured here).

There are various medical scenes which refer to the Middlesex Hospital.

Created in 1980. When Time Out compiled a list of London's best murals this came out number 1.

The two artists split the work with Jones on the top half and Barber lower down.

Londonist have examined the mural in more detail.

Site: Fitzrovia Mural (1 memorial)

W1, Tottenham Street, Whitfield Gardens

2010: the lower section of the mural is enhanced with extensive graffiti. We had heard that the mural was to be restored in September and now, November, the open space in front is undergoing works of some sort so perhaps the mural will be cleaned up. Fitzrovia News has some details.

By the time of the 2025 Londonist piece the mural had been restored and the colours refreshed.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Fitzrovia Mural

Subjects commemorated i

Middlesex Hospital

Opened first in 1745 on Windmill Street and moved to Mortimer Street, Fitzrov...

Read More

Sir Horace Cutler

Leader of the Greater London Council, 1977 - 1981.

Read More

Dylan Thomas

Poet. Born at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Swansea, which is now a themed holiday renta...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Fitzrovia Mural

Created by i

Camden Council

The Town Hall in Euston Road once housed these interesting murals by Cecil Os...

Read More

Simon Barber

Mural painter. See Mick Jones.

Read More

Mick Jones

Mural painter.  Grew up in Coventry and Birmingham.  Son of Jack Jones, trade...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Unknown 2

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Unknown 2

W2, St Mary's Square, Blossom Lower School

This 1981 Quinlan Terry building was originally the vestry or parish hall. It is decorated with trompe l'oeil statuary, 2 items on each o...

Chelsea Football Club Holocaust memorial

Chelsea Football Club Holocaust memorial

SW6, Fulham Road, Stamford Bridge, West Stand

This mural depicts 3 football players: one was a PoW held in Auschwitz, where, amazingly, he played football, the other 2 were Jewish and...

4 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Hitchcock mosaics 10 - Saboteur, 1942

Hitchcock mosaics 10 - Saboteur, 1942

E11, Church Lane, Leytonstone tube station

6 artists/craftspeople and 5 organisations are named as creating this Gallery of 17 murals. Rather than repeat this information on all 17...

1 subject commemorated
Nathaniel Acton mosaic

Nathaniel Acton mosaic

E8, Haggerston Road, Acton Estate

Funded by the firm that has recently redeveloped part of the 1970 Acton Estate. Our photos do not do this charming mosaic justice. Spital...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Hiroshima - College Place - mural

Hiroshima - College Place - mural

NW1, College Place

In 2022 Geoff Staden kindly sent us the photo of the mural and the following text explaining how it came about: "Our peace mural in Crow...

2 subjects commemorated, 2 creators

Previously viewed

Robert Adam

Robert Adam

W1, Fitzroy Square, 36-38

Robert Adam, 1728 - 1792, architect.

1 subject commemorated
Sir Arthur Pearson

Sir Arthur Pearson

Newspaper publisher and philanthropist. Born in Wookey, Somerset. In 1898 he founded the Daily Express, which was innovative in printing news instead of adverts on its front page. When he started t...

Person, Journalism / Publishing, Philanthropy

1 memorial
Gunpowder Plot

Gunpowder Plot

N1, Hoxton Street

Monteagle was at dinner when he received the letter so he passed it to a servant to read aloud. This servant was closely connected to one...

4 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
The Cimarons

The Cimarons

NW10, Tavistock Road, Tavistock Hall

See also Brent.

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Joseph James Redding

Joseph James Redding

Deputy Chairman of the Police Committee of the Corporation of London in 1926. Speel tells us that in St Botolph Aldgate there is a panel monument to "Joseph James Redding, d.1932". Seems likely to ...

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial