Stories Behind The Art: Urban Bees

The Brandon Estate in Kennington Park was in desperate need of some care and attention after it had spent years at the mercy of spray paint and graffiti. Local residents felt that the 60m stretch of wall surrounding Kennington Park represented the bygone days of gang culture and violence, a time the community were keen to leave behind. 

Brewers Decorator Centres in association with local group Bee Urban undertook an ambitious community scheme alongside the Brandon Tenants Residents Association to restore the community’s spirit and unity by painting a massive mural along a 60m wall, making it one of London’s longest murals.

Brewers Peckham store manager Jimmy Thomson was delighted to help by donating over 150 litres of Albany Paint to the community project. The Peckham store were blown away by the enthusiasm of Bee Urban’s Barnaby Shaw as his team strove to overcome the negative image created about the estate, seeking instead to highlight a very different message.  

Half Hexagon 10 is a very special segment of the mural to everyone involved.

Brewers worked closely with Bee Urban to bring to life this amazing opportunity to revitalise a community with the help of local artists, one of whom is himself a bee keeper working unbee-lievably to support the local ecosystem in Kennington; the hexagon pays tribute to all those working to save the bees! 

Not only does this mural bring a touching tribute to all of those involved in the community project, it is also a fitting way to demonstrate the plethora of nationalities that make up the community of the Brandon Estate. Behind the two beekeepers hard at work, are three children, flying with pride the flags of the residents of Kennington. 

This segment brings a real BUZZ to the park and community of Kennington!