Mural to mark The Battle of Lewisham in the making
Lecturers and students are asking residents to help create a mural to mark the Battle of Lewisham.
Goldsmiths, University of London, is working with Lewisham council to create the work in Batavia Road, close to the plaque marking the event.
It arose from two open workshops where members of the public created more than 40 collages to inform a future public artwork based on the historic events that unfolded on the streets of Lewisham on August 13, 1977.
The college has created an advisory group including local artists, representatives from Lewisham council, and Goldsmiths historians and designers to design a large-scale, permanent public artwork based on the collages.
A spokesman for the university said: “Inspired by 1970s zines and punk and reggae culture, the provisional design draws heavily on many of the iconic images taken on the day by some of the most prominent social documentary photographers of the time.
“We want to hear your views on our plans and the design.” Vicky Foxcroft, Lewisham Deptford MP, said: “The Battle of Lewisham is an important moment in our local history, when our community united together and prevented the National Front from marching through our streets.
“Lewisham was and is a vibrant, welcoming and diverse community – a multicultural area that represented everything the National Front hated.
“Now, with hate crimes on the rise again, it is more important than ever that we commemorate such events and remember how much we can achieve when ordinary people unite together against racism and fascism.”
Everyone at the South London Press thanks you for your continued support.
Former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has encouraged everyone in the country who can afford to do so to buy a newspaper, and told the Downing Street press briefing:
“A FREE COUNTRY NEEDS A FREE PRESS, AND THE NEWSPAPERS OF OUR COUNTRY ARE UNDER SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL PRESSURE”
If you can afford to do so, we would be so grateful if you can make a donation which will allow us to continue to bring stories to you, both in print and online. Or please make cheques payable to “MSI Media Limited” and send by post to South London Press, Unit 112, 160 Bromley Road, Catford, London SE6 2NZ
why promote hatred and old fashioned views by people who were no born then. surely there is something else to celebrate in Lewisham like the newcomers that arrived were employed by NHS and London Transport and retired with good pensions. old Victorian houses were their homes selling for many thousands now, beautiful weddings, sound systems, old cars painted with household paint, and really good community spirit in churches, many still have original homes in caribbean. times were hard for everyone but things got better. this trouble making mural should not be allowed – better to do a thesis on the awful ‘ Lewisham roundabout’ and the expensive flats going up all over the place.