Brixton’s ‘Nuclear Dawn’ mural is under threat due to new development plans on the site.
The 50ft piece is historically embedded within Brixton’s past and admired by many locals.
Brian Barnes and Dale McCrea’s mural, situated on Coldharbour Lane, was created in 1980. Illustrating a skeletal figure towering over London while a nuclear bomb destroys the city, it is locally regarded as a piece of Brixton’s heritage.
Support from residents has arisen previously who have demanded the restoration of the mural because it has been damaged by trees and obscured by graffiti.
Charlotte Bill, director of documentary ‘If Walls Could Speak’, said, “the murals are part of what makes Brixton so different from other parts of London. There are really a lot of murals here in a small area and they are all dramatically different from each other.” Bill’s film, supported by the London Mural Preservation Society, charts the importance of Brixton’s murals to local people.
Many other Brixton murals have been renovated over the years, and ‘Nuclear Dawn’ is certainly in need of restoration. Public interest is certainly apparent as many locals attended the 30th anniversary celebration of this mural three years ago. At this event, the original artists unveiled a plaque celebrating the anniversary.
A petition has been created in order to save the mural, which can be found at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-the-nuclear-dawn-mural-in-brixton/.
