Restoring the Fitzrovia Mural
Discover how Global Street Art restored the Fitzrovia Mural as part of the West End Project which now stands proudly once again over Whitfield Gardens.
Following the rejuvenation of Whitfield Gardens at the end of 2020, Camden Council is encouraging shoppers and workers returning to the capital to experience this much-loved green space this summer.
The iconic Fitzrovia Mural has been completely restored by Global Street Art on behalf of Camden Council and now sits proudly once again overlooking the gardens. The restoration of the Fitzrovia Mural in parallel with improvements to Whitfield Gardens, marked another milestone towards the completion of the West End Project, which is addressing traffic congestion, road safety, poor air quality and the fact that this area has previously had less than the Camden average of public open space.
“The restoration of the Fitzrovia mural is an important part of the West End Project and I have received lots of feedback from residents and businesses who tell me that this faithful restoration has brought it back to the vibrant best.
“As with the improvements to the nearby Bloomsbury Rangers Memorial, celebrating the culture and history of the area is an important strand of the West End Project overall alongside its broader street improvements.
“We are very proud of the work, which demonstrates our commitment to making beautiful, safe and usable public spaces that everyone can enjoy and would encourage everyone who may be venturing back to the West end for work or pleasure to visit, spend some time and admire the magnificent restored Fitzrovia Mural in this green space.”
The rejuvenation of this much-loved garden forms part of the biggest council-led public realm and transport scheme the borough has ever seen.
Work undertaken by the council’s partners idverde to revive the gardens, included a planting scheme that thrives in shady locations, plus better accessibility as the gardens now allow visitors to cross easily between Tottenham Court Road and Whitfield Street/Tottenham Street without using steps. The square also provides space for people to stop and enjoy as well as a space for future events.
Councillor Harrison continued:
“The gardens are loved by many and are an important and much used space to sit and pause in this part of the borough.
“The square is a unique space to enjoy as the mural vividly celebrates and documents the local communities and individuals who have, and continue to contribute to the wonderfully diverse nature of this area, whilst also providing a fantastic glimpse of local life in the 1980’s.
“The mural restoration video shows how painstakingly and faithfully the work was restored by the skilled artists at Global Street Art.
“Their dedication and respect for this amazing piece of local history is clear. Being able to see up close their work and the intricacy of the original design has been fascinating.”
Global Street Art, who restored the Fitzrovia mural said:
”We are honoured to have worked with Camden Council to faithfully restore this iconic landmark mural.
“With limited original text to work from we could never truly recreate the original but we are proud of the efforts of our artist team and the time, love and care that has been put into each brush stroke of this project.”