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Children at Play

1980s murals1982 in London1982 paintingsBrixtonMurals in London
Murals of black peoplePaintings of childrenPublic art in London

Children at Play is a mural at the rear of the Brixton Academy on Stockwell Park Walk in Brixton. Children at Play was commissioned by Lambeth Council in the wake of the 1981 Brixton riot, it was painted between 1981 and 1982 by Stephen Pusey. The mural is intended to display 'racial harmony between Lambeth's schoolchildren'. Pusey and a council employee searched the area before finding the site, which was then the disused Astoria cinema. The mural is highly visible to residents of the Stockwell Park Estate, who were consulted as to the final design for the mural. The initial designs for the mural reflected the tensions and struggles of the people of Brixton, but these were subsequently perceived as an unwanted negative perception of the area. The final image was chosen to reflect harmony between the different races of the area. The mural has been nicknamed the 'Zombie Children' by local people. The creation of the mural was funded by the Inner City Partnership Fund, Commission for Racial Equality, Greater London Arts, Marks & Spencer, Rank Leisure Services, and Shell International limited. A plaque underneath the mural commemorates the donors. The mural cost £23,000 (equivalent to £82,005 in 2025). It was unveiled in November 1982 by the Mayor of Lambeth, Hugh Chambers. The mural is 32 meters by 9 meters in size and was painted with Keim Silicate paint, with an expected 100-year lifespan. It was restored in 2011 by artist Paul Butler and Triton Building Conservation with the assistance of the London Mural Preservation Society.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Children at Play (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Children at Play
Stockwell Road, Greater London Brixton (London Borough of Lambeth)

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N 51.465882 ° E -0.114776 °
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O2 Academy Brixton (Brixton Academy)

Stockwell Road 211
SW9 9SL Greater London, Brixton (London Borough of Lambeth)
England, United Kingdom
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academymusicgroup.com

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Max Roach Park

Max Roach Park is a public park in Brixton in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is named after the African American Jazz drummer Max Roach, who visited the park in 1986.The park was constructed from 1978. Earlier, the site had terrace houses on it (similar to those extant on the north side of Villa Road to the north of the park) until 1978 when they were demolished as part of the Brixton Development Plan. Prior to this, from 1974, squatters had occupied these properties in order to protest against this plan. In 1978 the squatters were rehoused by the authority, and demolition went ahead for the park.The park was initially called Angell Park, after the local area Angell TownIn 1986, Lambeth Labour Party councillor Sharon Atkin persuaded the council to name 27 sites in the borough "to acknowledge contributions by people of African descent." Other streets were renamed after Francis Barber, a Jamaican manservant of Dr Johnson with ties to Streatham, and Olympic javelin champion Tessa Sanderson. Other places were named after musical figures like Roach, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, and Jamaican saxophonists Joe Harriott and Harold McNair. The opening of Max Roach Park was timed to coincide with Roach's GLC-sponsored visit to London, and he attended its opening along with Councillor Atkin and the drummer Ken Gordon, uncle of Moira Stuart.The park includes a One O'Clock Club and children's playground, which have been under threat from funding cuts. Demonstrations against cuts to youth services began in 2011, but Lambeth Council says it is trying to find a way to maintain some level of service despite budget cuts.There is a nature trail that extends to Rush Common.