Mural

Van Gogh mural

Erection date: 14/10/1998

Site: Stockwell war memorial, and others (6 memorials)

SW9, Stockwell Terrace

This triangle of land is all that remains of Stockwell Common. From London Gardens online: "Now rather isolated amid heavy traffic, Stockwell Memorial Garden is a small triangular space surrounding a fine white stone WWI memorial. It was laid out c.1920 when the site at Stockwell Terrace was conveyed to Lambeth Borough Council. In 1928 it is described as having lawns and flower beds and 'very attractive'."

An on-site public information board provides the following three paragraphs:
"This site was originally part of South Lambeth Common, a large tract of open land belonging to the Manor of Vauxhall and owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was gradually enclosed, often illegally, by local tenants for keeping livestock at the beginning of the 19th century, until they were evicted and new restrictions were placed on enclosures or buildings.

These restrictions were lifted in 1843, and a local developer called John Notely bought up and developed much of the land for housing, but left behind a small piece of open space in front of Stockwell Terrace. His successors passed it to Lambeth Borough Council in 1920 in order for it to be developed into a new war memorial garden. A splendid stone memorial tower, originally commemorating men who died in the 1914 - 1918 War but since then including the dead of the Second World War, was built in 1922 and the rest of the site grassed over.

At the centre of the site is a large ventilation shaft which serves the nearby Stockwell underground station. Covering the external walls of this structure are murals commemorating those who fought and died in Two World Wars, including a memorial to Violette Szabo GC MBE (1921 - 1945), the famous Second World War heroine. Originally born in Paris, she grew up and went to school in nearby Stockwell Road, before serving in the Special Operations Executive (SOE) until her capture and death in Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. The memorial gardens also contain the Bronze Woman Sculpture, which celebrates the many achievements of Black Caribbean and African women in Britain, and which was unveiled on October 8th 2008."

Naomi Klein, who has done extensive research on this memorial tells us that the information on this board is inaccurate. Lambeth are (2012) in the process of refreshing this memorial and the garden and have agreed to use Naomi's text for a new board. The reference to Stockwell residents lost in WW2 on the Szabo plaque seems a rather cheapskate memorial.

A label on the mural gives: "This mural was unveiled by 96 year old In-Pensioner A. E. Alexandre of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in the presence of Cllr. Daphne Hayes-Mojon, the Mayor of Lambeth, on 14 October 1998 - 80 years since the end of World War One. The mural is based on designs by pupils from Stockwell Park School and has been painted by Brian Barnes. It was commissioned by the Stockwell Partnership - a multi-agency body working to improve the Stockwell neighbourhood."

In 2005 Brian Barnes who painted the original mural added a painting of Jean Charles de Menezes but the council quickly removed it.

A blue plaque reads: "This plaque commemorates the restoration of the Stockwell War Memorial and the memorial mural, unveiled on 14 September 2013 by the Mayor of Lambeth. The project was funded by Lambeth Council and the War Memorials Trust, and carried out in partnership with the Friends of Stockwell War Memorial & Gardens and the London Mural Preservation Society and with the help of artist Brian Barnes and a team of volunteers."

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:
Van Gogh mural

Subjects commemorated i

Vincent van Gogh

Vincent came to London in June 1873 aged 20 as an art dealer, in the firm Gou...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Van Gogh mural

Created by i

Brian Glen Barnes, MBE

Muralist and community artist.  Created murals around south London for over 4...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Van Gogh mural

Also at this site i

Bronze Woman

Bronze Woman

This was the first statue of a black woman to be on permanent display anywher...

Read More

Stockwell WW1 memorial

Stockwell WW1 memorial

The design of this Portland stone clock tower was chosen through competition ...

Read More

Szabo mural

Szabo mural

Violette Szabo 1921 - 1945

Read More

Szabo plaque

Szabo plaque

In memory of Violette Szabo GC and the Stockwell residents who gave their liv...

Read More

Windrush - Stockwell

Windrush - Stockwell

Empire Windrush London

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Cable Street mural - Mosley

Cable Street mural - Mosley

E1, Cable Street, St George's Town Hall, east wall

There must be a story to explain why Mosley is shown in his underwear, but we don't know it. See our main Cable Street mural page for de...

2 subjects commemorated
Harrow Weald rail crash - mural panel

Harrow Weald rail crash - mural panel

HA3, The Bridge

Part of an extensive mural created by Harrow Council and local schools, this panel is next to the bus stop.

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Somers Town Mural

Somers Town Mural

NW1, Polygon Road, School

This mural was commissioned by the GLC in 1980 and moved to this site by St Pancras Housing after its original site was redeveloped for h...

19 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Hitchcock mosaics 12 - Strangers On a Train, 1951

Hitchcock mosaics 12 - Strangers On a Train, 1951

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
Madge Gill - mural

Madge Gill - mural

E17, High Street Walthamstow, 121

  {On an accompanying information board:} LDN WMN Madge Gill by Pang LDN WMN is a series of free public artworks across London this a...

1 subject commemorated, 4 creators

Previously viewed

H. M. Hogan, Tpr.

H. M. Hogan, Tpr.

Imperial Camel Corps, Australian Contingent, 3rd Battalion

Person

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Charlotte Despard

Charlotte Despard

Anglo-Irish suffragist, socialist, pacifist, Sinn Féin activist, and novelist. She was a founding member of the Women's Freedom League, Women's Peace Crusade, and the Irish Women's Franchise League...

Person, Gender Issues, Ireland, Scotland

2 memorials
Saki

Saki

W1, Mortimer Street, 97

Hector Hugh Munro, alias Saki, 1870 - 1916, short story writer, lived here. English Heritage

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
F. G. Hucker

F. G. Hucker

Resident of Willesden who volunteered and died in the Anglo Boer War, 1899-1900. Died of fever at Pretoria.

Person, Armed Forces, South Africa

War dead, Other war
1 memorial
Czechoslovak Air Force Association

Czechoslovak Air Force Association

When Czechoslovakia was occupied by the Nazis, more than two thousand Czech airmen joined the Royal Air Force to fight the Germans, and many took part in the Battle of Britain.

Group, Armed Forces, Aviation, Community / Clubs, Czechoslovakia

1 memorial