Wednesday 18 June 2008

The wonders of Kilburn

When you are rushing along it's often too easy to miss the posters, the advertising and just to tut at the graffiti - yet some of the wall paintings are just stunning.

This one on the Kilburn High Road is probably the best I have ever seen - it's clever, colourful, skilled and deeply rooted in the history of the local area.

It's also much appreciated by others who have seen it
http://www.testmeat.co.uk/photos/index.php?id=165

http://www.orbville.com/forum/photos/136152

It was ranked 7th in the top ten graffiti in London and it is amazing - references to George Orwell, the Kilburn State cinema, HG Wells and his time machine and the local Irish community.

There's a statue of a very large man which IIRC refers to an old pub landlords who was at one point the second heaviest man in the world!
http://www.timeout.com/london/features/1647/2.html

The graffiti was brought about by the Kilburn Town Centre Partnership and it's really great addition to the local area - next time you're up by Kilburn Tube station (Jubilee Line) take a few minutes to have a proper look - there is so much to take it - it spans three walls...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I live round the corner from this mural and I see it most days. I can't relate to the people in it. The buildings portrayed do show some of Kilburn's history and most of us can relate to them but the strange looking children and odd adults look like creatures from another planet!
Sadly, most people who walk by the mural know nothing of Kilburn's history and couldn't care less. Their roots are simply not here in this town.

Anonymous said...

I don't really know anything about Kilburn, and frankly probably would get the references in it, but I think that mural's fantastic.

Anonymous said...

I'm interested in the comment that people's roots aren't in this part of town. As someone who moved here in the last twenty years, I'm struck by the number of people I meet who have lived here all their lives - and have full and detailed recollections of growing up, going to school, surviving the war, bringing up their own children, all within a couple of miles. I'd love to be able to record some of these memories. Has anyone ever done an "oral history" project in Kilburn?