Showing posts with label Olympic Way. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olympic Way. Show all posts

Monday 25 September 2023

Murder investigation after Olympic Way fatal stabbing late yesterday. Witnesses sought by Met

 

From the Metropolitan Police


Detectives are appealing for witnesses and information following a murder in north London.
Police were called just after 23.00hrs on Sunday, 24 September to Olympic Way, Wembley to reports of a stabbing.


Officers attended the location where they discovered a man – aged in his mid-20s - with stab injuries. They immediately commenced CPR ahead of the arrival, a short time later, of colleagues from the London Ambulance Service, who continued to treat the victim. He was taken by ambulance to a north London hospital, but was sadly pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
 

The victim’s next of kin have been informed, however we await formal identification at this time. A post mortem examination will be held in due course.
 

Detectives from Specialist Crime North have launched an investigation and are carrying out various lines of inquiry as they attempt to identify those responsible.


No arrests have been made at this time.


Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers said: 

"My team are working at pace to establish what has led to this tragic incident, and as we continue to carry out numerous inquiries to trace and speak to witnesses, as well as analysing CCTV footage, we are appealing to the public to help us.


"We understand the victim was chased and attacked by a group of suspects. Were you in the area at the time? Did you see anything suspicious? Any detail – no matter how small – could assist us with our investigation so please do come forward and speak to police. Information can also be passed on anonymously via Crimestoppers.”


Chief Superintendent Dan Knowles, who is in charge of policing in Brent, said:
 

“My thoughts, and those of all my officers, are with the family and friends of this young man who has very tragically lost his life far too soon. I know that this incident will raise serious concern and worry in the community, and want to assure the all those affected that our colleagues from the Specialist Crime Command are working tirelessly to find those responsible, and local officers are assisting them in every way possible.


"The public can help us in this endeavour by speaking to officers if they have any information which could be relevant to the investigation. There will be more officers in and around the area in the coming days to provide reassurance. Please do speak to them with any concerns you have or information you would like to pass on."
 

Anyone with information which could assist the investigation team is asked
to call the incident room on 0208 345 3715 or 101 - quoting CAD7764/24Sep. To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555  111

Monday 1 May 2023

355 new hotel rooms for Olympic Way plus 26 storey private residential block. Nearby residents complain of daylight and sunlight impact,


 The new hotel tower replacing 3 Olympic Way and the Novotel upper extension

The rattle of luggage trolleys will become louder along Olympic Way if Brent Planning Committee approves a new 23 storey hotel to replace the  current much lower 7 storey building at 3 Olympic Way  and a further 6 storey upper floor extension to the Novotel making it 16 storeys  high.

The officers' report states;

The proposed hotel accommodation would comprise of an upwards and infill extension to the existing Novotel at 5 Olympic Way, as well as separate, new hotel directly adjacent at 3 Olympic Way. The application states the new hotel would be a 3 star model and that the reception area to the existing Novotel would be transformed to create a shared reception area for the both the existing and proposed hotels, with extended restaurant offer to cater for both hotels too. The leisure facilities proposed (i.e. swimming pool and gym) at basement level below the proposed hotel will also serve the existing Novotel.

 

In apparent contradiction to this description of shared facilities the officers also state:

 

This hotel is planned to be used by a different hotel operator, (i.e. it would not constitute a further extension to the Novotel), and would have 260 hotel rooms.

The planning application is not limited to the hotels. The site includes a large car park space between Olympic Way and North End Road that will be built on. 

Plans for this space includes a 26 storey  residential building with 142 private homes named the 'Central Residence' and a 10 storey bullding of 30  apartments facing North End Road for 'affordable' housing.

The proposal goes to Brent Planning Committee at their meeting on Wednesday May 10th 6pm. Residents can apply to speak  on the proposal.  LINK

 


 The officers' report spends considerable space on the problems of 'viability of social housing provision' and ends with agreeing that despite much higher requirements in terms of guidance that 10.4% social rent and 6.97% London Shared Ownership is all that can be provided in terms of financial viability of the whole development.


 To summarise 142 homes (82.5%) will be private, 18 social rent (10.4%) and 12 shared ownership (6.97%) shared ownership.  So only 1 in 10 of the homes will be properly affordable.

As social and shared ownerships are all in one building on North End Road there is no impingement by 'affordabe residents' on the private area.

The officers' report addresses existing residents' concerns over access to daylight and sunlight  (they say Danes Court, Pinnacle Tower, Trabriz Court and Felda House are affected) with this statement:

The growth area designation which applies to this location, and which envisions significant housing growth within the locality of the site is given significant weight. The expectation for significant development within this growth area, as well as the expected high-density nature of development, would naturally reduce the expectations for full compliance with the daylight and sunlight guidance for new development in this location. As noted above, the undeveloped nature of a large proportion of the site affords some surrounding buildings access to a higher level of existing sunlight and a generous baseline scenario, however this is a location where change is expected to occur and the existing baseline conditions cannot realistically be maintained

The officers' report states that there are 22 objections to the development but there are 57 recorded (some going back to the 2021 application);

Here is a recent objection;

Danes Court resident: In response to your further letter regarding the application 3-5 Olympic Way HA9 0NP, I wish to again oppose these plans. I can see no significant change to the planning application for this site, which was first opposed by me in March 2022.

As I mentioned before, the proposal to develop and build a building on 3-5 Olympic Way of basement ground, nine, twenty two, and twenty five storeys will have a very detrimental impact on me and my family (and other Danes Court residents). I live in 22 Danes Court which faces and is adjacent to North End Road. Over a period of several years our quality of life has declined considerably due to the building of numerous very tall blocks of flats and student accommodation; Victoria Hall, Felda House, Scape, 1 Olympic Way, Anthology, and recently a vast Barrett tower block of flats. These have had a considerable impact on the light on my flat. Since these buildings have been erected and most recently 1 Olympic way where a 15 storey tower block had been built opposite our flat (to add insult to injury, this block appears to be unoccupied!), the light to my flat has almost disappeared. We now have almost no sunlight onto our flat. The days of enjoying an afternoon sitting on my balcony are a distant memory and with this proposal we will be almost constantly living in shade.

The proposal to build 9, 22 and 25 storey buildings plus add six storeys to the Novotel hotel will almost completely decimate any remaining light on our flat. This is not only detrimental to our well being, but our health as well. The reduction in light and privacy have impacted on our mental health and quality of life. Plants that used to thrive on my balcony now do not due to lack of sun (this may seem minor to you but is important to me). This proposal will significantly negatively impact on mine and others quality of life. Please consider the Right to Light Act 1959. I have lived in my flat for 28 years and enjoyed wonderful light for most of that, now it has lessened to very little and this proposal will take most of the little light we have particularly in the afternoons.

These buildings plus a supermarket will bring more people and traffic, which will also impact on the noise, litter (a huge problem since all these buildings have been erected in and near North End Road), privacy, anti-social behaviour and traffic. North End Road is a dangerous rat run of traffic, fumes and noise. It is almost impossible to cross without taking your life in your hands. Lorries, cars, vans and occasionally coaches thunder down that road. We are also often disturbed by vehicles sounding their horns in the midst of severe congestion of traffic during school pick ups and event days. Adding further congestion with traffic from these buildings will increase the nightmare of this hideous, dangerous road.


The Danes and Empire Court flats were built in around the 1930s. The recent buildings have smothered them, (they are now hidden by surrounding ugly concrete tower blocks,) and brought only negative impact on the residents.


Litter has increased substantially. Only today I watched a man empty his care boot of plastic water bottles and chuck them on the ground. Take away food containers and other rubbish had led to an increase in vermin and made the area look run down, which I am sure has contributed to an increase in crime. Ie drug dealing has become the norm.


This proposal will considerably further add to the detrimental impact on mine and other residents qualify of life. Therefore I oppose it.

And one from April last year:

Shams Court resident:  

With reference to planning application 21/2130, I would like to register my strong objections to this application as it will have a major impact on all occupants of my address, all 9 flats in Shams Court, and I believe our opinions should be counted as we have clearly been identified in the plans as THOSE MOST AFFECTED. My reasons for objecting are as below:


1. Developers have stated that they consulted us (the owners of Sham's Court). This is entirely UNTRUE and NO attempt has been made by the developers to consult any of the owners of Sham's Court. This is just one example of the falsehoods mentioned in their planning application.


2. From the daylight, sunlight and overshadowing assessment you can see that the 8, 22 and 25 storey buildings will completely overshadow the ENTIRE SOURCE OF NATURAL LIGHT to our kitchen and bathroom. This is our MAIN source of natural light.


3. Shams Court is a small 4 storey building, which will be engulfed in full 360degrees by extremely high towers. The image attached has a mouse which points to the EXACT location of my flat. You can very clearly see the tower would block ALL daylight through my windows and is in touching distance of the building. It is visibly engulfing my apartment and the entire Shams Court. We would be left in darkness ALL DAY- you can literally see a full shadow on the developer's image of our flat.


4. In the new report our kitchen and Bathroom windows would get 1% of daylight and with the daylight from the front living room and bedrooms would be an acceptable daylight required. I completely disagree with this. Our living room is long and hence the daylight coming in will not get to the kitchen area and we will be below the living standard acceptable daylight. Also presently we have to leave the bathroom door open to have daylight in the hallway and entrance area. Therefore when the bathroom receives 1% daylight the area mentioned will be in total darkness. This is outrageous. How can you ignore where we receive such a significant proportion of our daylight. It is false representation of the effects of this project. The developers have omitted key information in their reports.


Additionally, the costs of electricity have sky-rocketed. Once the light has been reduced to a pathetic 1%, I will have to keep my lights on constantly, using an excessive amount of energy. This is bad for the environment and will put considerable strain on my finances due to the electricity price increase. Shams Court was purpose built as affordable housing - which it will no longer be


5. The buildings will tower over Sham's Court and we will be in engulfed in darkness. Our roof garden will be overshadowed leading to no daylight/sunlight and our privacy will be entirely lost. My mother who lives with me and is a key worker from home will be working in her room in a very dark environment. This is not acceptable for mental health or working conditions.


6. This development will have detrimental effects on our living standards, privacy and health. This is going to affect every resident's privacy. All of us will be under heavy stress which can cause significant damage to our health and everyday living conditions both during construction and even more-so after completion due to significant increase in population density, noise, nuisance and anti-social behaviour. There are six young children in our block and their lives deserve better than this scenario. This development, if approved, will have an unbearable impact on the mental and physical health of every resident and child in this small 4-storey building.


7. The development of towers next to Pinnacle Tower (18 Storey tower to the South of Shams Court) and the Novotel (19 storeys to the West of Shams Court) have already left us with very little natural light and an extremely claustrophobic environment to live in. Our privacy has already been significantly reduced with existing towers. Approving this development will remove any remaining privacy that we have.


8. The layout and density of this development is clearly over-development and is overbearing in depth and height. Leading to all forms of uncomfortable situations. The construction will have detrimental effects on living standards, noise levels, cranes, dust emissions, demolition, digging and construction and trackout of materials and heavy vehicle noise will lead us to living in a terrible environment.


9. Noise levels, anti-social behaviour, disturbance and nuisance from overcrowding of a very small area with thousands of people will significantly affect our quality of life on a daily basis. We already struggle with noise in the area and this will increase it infinitely.



10. The ground stability will certainly be compromised with the large-scale excavation proposed. We share an underground basement with the existing Novotel hotel and further construction of this nature can lead to a weak structure and compromise the safety and integrity of all the surrounding buildings.


We kindly ask Brent council to understand the detrimental effects this proposal will have on the residents of Shams Court. We trust you to protect us from this loss of all natural light, increased noise pollution, disturbance, loss of privacy and increase in anti-social behavior.


We hope you will protect us from these outrageous, inconsiderate proposals.

 

 

 


 

 

 

Thursday 20 April 2023

Celebrating the history of Olympic Way on 19 April 2023 - a richly illustrated article

Guest post by local historian Philip Grant in a personal capacity


1.    Sir Arthur Elvin, Lord Burghley and the Mayor of Wembley watch the Minister of Transport unveil the Olympic Way name in July 1948. (Courtesy of Margaret Winter)

 

In July this year we will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of the 1948 London Olympic Games, and the opening of Olympic Way which was built to provide the main route to Wembley Stadium. On Wednesday 19 April, Quintain hosted another ceremony, marking their improvements to Olympic Way, and celebrating its history with the unveiling of several local history features.

 

I was first made aware of the plaque, unveiled at the opening of Olympic Way in 1948, by a fellow Wembley History Society member about ten years ago. I had to trample down nettles on a piece of waste ground behind the westbound Wembley Park Station bus stop (since moved) to get to see it, and it was in a poor state. 

 

2.    The 1948 Olympic Way opening plaque, c.2014.

 

I later discovered that the plaque was on land belonging to Quintain, not Brent Council. In recent years there had been several requests to Quintain (or their Wembley Park managing company) to clean the plaque and tidy up its surroundings. This was done, but because of its situation, the plaque and its site soon looked untidy again.

 

A big change came in January 2022, when Mike Collett contacted Wembley History Society about the plaque. Mike was a sports journalist, who had covered numerous events at Wembley as well as six Olympic Games. He’d spotted the plaque while in Wembley Park and asked what could be done about it, because ‘it’s in such a dirty, sorry and neglected condition’. 

 

3.    The Olympic Way opening plaque and its site, January 2022. (Photo by Mike Collett)

 

I put Mike in touch with my contacts at Quintain, and to their credit (and after a bit more pressure from his friends in sport) they came up with some ideas for improvements by March 2022. A site meeting, bringing together Quintain/Wembley Park, Mike and myself, the British Olympic Association and Brent’s heritage officers, was held in April 2022, and a plan of action agreed.

 

A year later, and that plan has come to fruition. The 1948 Olympic Way opening plaque has been restored by stone carver and conservator, Louis Russell. It is now set in a garden with a path leading up to it from the pavement. The restored plaque was the first item to be unveiled on 19 April. 

 

4.    The new 1948 garden, with the restored plaque covered-up, 30 March 2023.

 

The plaque was officially unveiled by the Mayor of Brent, Cllr. Abdi Aden, after several short speeches. Mike Collett’s, read on his behalf, recalled how he had stopped for a quick drink while visiting Wembley Park in January, noticed the plaque for the first time, in a neglected state, and thought something must be done about it. Fifteen months later, he was very pleased to see the transformation, and thanked Quintain, and everyone else involved, for bringing this about, so that this part of Wembley’s Olympic history was properly valued.

 

5.    Margaret Winter, speaking before the unveiling of the 1948 Olympic Way plaque.

 

Margaret Winter had been invited to take part in the unveiling because her father, Walter Steadman, had helped to design Olympic Way in 1947/48, and the original subway bringing pedestrians from the station to it. She said that it had been one of the proudest achievements of his long career as Wembley Council’s Borough Engineer and Surveyor.

 

6.    Mike Collett, admiring the restored 1948 Olympic Way plaque.

 

At the bottom of the steps down onto the pedestrianised Olympic Way, just outside the Bobby Moore Bridge subway, on the wall below the 1948 plaque garden, is an illustrated local history panel. This welcomes visitors to Olympic Way and tells its story. I had some input into the panel’s contents and text, but the design is Quintain’s. We passed this on the way to the second unveiling.

 

7.    The Olympic Way Story local history panel. (Courtesy of Quintain Ltd)

 

The improvements which Quintain have made to Olympic Way in recent years, part-funded by £17.8m from Brent Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy pot, include several references to “48”. This is to reflect that Olympic Way was constructed in preparation for the 1948 Olympic Games. (It was later pedestrianised by Brent Council in the early 1990s, ahead of the 1996 Euros football tournament matches at Wembley).

 

8.    Tree-lined Olympic Way, with crowds going to the opening of the 1948 Olympic Games. (Brent Archives)

 

When it opened, Olympic Way had trees on either side of it, a legacy from the grounds of the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. Now, on either side of the wide pedestrian thoroughfare, Quintain’s improvements include 24 pairs (24 + 24 = 48) of “Champion Trees of the World”. They were chosen and planted to show the wide range of trees from similar temperate latitudes to those of Wembley, but from worldwide spread of longitudes. 

 

9.    Some of the “Champion” Olympic Way trees coming into leaf, April 2023.

 

Beginning from the west at the station end, they move down to our own 0º longitude, then increasing until they reach the furthest east near the stadium. Each tree has a large metal frame around it, allowing for plenty of growth, carrying the (Latin) name of the tree species, and the longitude of the part of the world it originates from.

 

10. The metal grid around a “Pterocarya Fraxinifolia” (Caucasian walnut), from 50º E.

 

As the unveiling group of around 30 people approached Engineers Way, there, ahead of us, were the Olympic Steps (48 of them!). These controversially replaced the old concrete pedway as the pedestrian way up to Wembley Stadium. Four new high-capacity lifts were installed first, as an integral part of the whole design, before the Olympic Steps were constructed and opened in time for the 2021 Men’s Euros football tournament.

 

Here, a new Portland Stone plaque, also carved by Louis Russell, has been attached to a cast stone plinth. This new plaque repeats the words of the 1948 plaque, then marks the completion of the Olympic Way improvements. It also carries the Olympic Rings, which celebrate Wembley’s part in the 1948 and 2012 London Olympic Games. It was Quintain’s CEO, James Saunders, who spoke first, before inviting the Mayor of Brent to unveil the plaque.

 

11.  James Saunders and the Mayor, Cllr. Abdi Aden, beside the plinth near the Olympic Steps.

 

Mr Saunders spoke proudly of the improvements Quintain had made to Wembley Park, and the public spaces along Olympic Way. He praised the co-operation of Brent Council in bringing about these achievements, and especially thanked Carolyn Downs, on her last day as Brent’s Chief Executive before retirement, for all of her help, then presented her with a bouquet.

 

12. Carolyn Downs with her bouquet, watched by Cllr. Muhammed Butt and the Mayor.

 

Council Leader Muhammed Butt responded on behalf of Brent. He commended Quintain’s part in Brent’s continuing journey of regeneration, renewal and growth, while also remembering its history, and said that he was proud of ‘what we can do if we work together’. He also thanked a number of people, and I was surprised when I was one of them! Cllr. Butt publicly thanked me for ‘keeping the Council on its toes over heritage’. [I must write to thank him for his kind words, but also to remind him that actions speak louder.]

 

Looking back at Olympic Way from the Stadium, over the Olympic Steps, you can see the line of trees. They will grow, with time, but at the moment they are dwarfed by the lines of tall lamp posts, and the overly large advertising banners which hang from them.

 

13.   The view down Olympic Way from in front of Wembley Stadium, April 2023.

 

Olympic Way is now a busy thoroughfare every day, serving Quintain’s “new” Wembley Park as well as the Stadium and Arena which played such a big part in the 1948 Olympic Games. I’m glad that the 1948 plaque has been given the respect it deserves, and that people emerging from the Bobby Moore Bridge subway can read about Olympic Way’s history, and be directed up the steps to see it.

 

14.  The new Olympic Way plaque, just before Engineers Way on the route to the Stadium.

 

The new plaque, by Engineers Way, is more about celebrating Quintain’s improvements to Olympic Way, which are also part of its history. And its location, plus the Olympic Rings on it, gives residents and visitors the chance to be photographed (or take selfies) with the Olympic Steps and the stadium in the background, to capture part of Wembley’s Olympic heritage.

 


Philip Grant.

 

Sunday 1 January 2023

An Olympic Games tile mural – let’s get it back on permanent display!

 Guest post by local Historian Philip Grant in a personal capacity

 

On 1 January 2022 I shared with you an open letter that I’d sent to Quintain’s Chief Executive Officer, seeking his agreement that his company would not seek to renew its advertisement consent, covering the tile murals on the walls of Olympic Way. I thought I’d made a good case, and was very pleased to receive a positive response two months later.

 

The sports tile murals on the east wall of Olympic Way, back on display in August 2022.

 

As well as uncovering the American Football, Rugby League and Ice Hockey tile mural scenes in 2022, Quintain’s Wembley Park company also commissioned a new mural. This replaced the missing section of the former “Live Aid” mural, beside the drummer which was the only section left of the original 1993 design. Since it was completed last November, Paul Marks’s “Reverb” mural has been added to the Wembley Park Art Trail.

 

The ”Reverb” tile mural, nearing completion in November 2022.

 

Regular readers will know that Wembley History Society has been campaigning since April 2018 to get Quintain and Brent Council to put all of the Bobby Moore Bridge tile murals, celebrating Wembley’s sports and entertainment heritage, back on permanent public display. Our first success was the mural scene in the subway, showing England footballers playing at the “twin towers” Wembley Stadium, which was left uncovered when Quintain (with Brent Council’s consent) replaced their vinyl advertising sheets in the subway with LED light panels.

 

The “Footballers” mural, flanked by LED light panels.

 

Now, 2023 provides an opportunity to get another of the subway’s mural scenes back on display. As well as marking the centenary of the original Wembley Stadium, the year will also be the 75th anniversary of the 1948 London Olympic Games, for which Olympic Way was built. I hope that it will also see the mural celebrating those Games uncovered, in recognition of that important part of Wembley’s sporting heritage.

 

The Olympic Torch tile mural, beside a photograph from the 1948 Games opening ceremony.

 

So, this New Year I’ve sent another open letter to Quintain’s Chief Executive Officer, James Saunders. This is its full text:

 

This is an open letter

1 January 2023

Dear Mr Saunders, 

 

The 1948 Olympic Torch tile mural at Bobby Moore Bridge, Wembley Park.

 

Happy New Year! 2022 was a good year for Olympic Way, and I am hoping that, with your support, 2023 can be even better.

 

Following my 1 January 2022 letter to you, and your reply of 2 March, it was good to see the three sporting tile mural scenes on the east wall of Olympic Way back on permanent display from August 2022. They have been appreciated and enjoyed by residents and visitors ever since. More recently, the “Reverb” mural by Paul Marks, on the opposite wall beside the original drummer, has brightened up that space, although I must admit to some disappointment that it could not have related more closely with the “Live Aid” stadium concert theme.

 

During 2022, I have continued to work with Quintain’s Wembley Park team on projects to promote the history of Olympic Way. There are several additions to enhance the sharing of that history with visitors nearing completion, but I am writing to suggest another one.

 

In April 2023 we will celebrate the centenary of the original Wembley Stadium, and in July 2023 the 75th anniversary of the 1948 London Olympic Games, for which Olympic Way was built. One of the tile murals in the Bobby Moore Bridge subway, the first scene on the left as you come down the steps from the station, was designed to celebrate that heritage at the start of the famous route to the stadium:-

 


This mural, which depicts an Olympic torch relay runner on his way to the stadium for the opening ceremony of the 1948 Games, with the Olympic flag behind him, is currently hidden behind LED light panels. My suggestion is that this mural scene should be uncovered, and put on display for the 75th anniversary in July 2023 (and hopefully, permanently). 

 

The Olympic Torch mural is next to the “footballers” mural scene, which is already on display, so that it should not be too difficult to extend the lighting “frame” around that scene to include this mural celebrating the 1948 Olympic Games at Wembley Park, once the three or four light panels covering it, and their supports, have been removed.

 

I will email a digital copy of this letter to members of your team at Wembley Park, who I am already in touch with over other local history enhancements for Olympic Way. 

 

I look forward to hearing from you that displaying the Olympic Games mural scene will be another addition to those enhancements by the summer of 2023. Thank you.

 

Yours sincerely,


Philip Grant.

Thursday 3 March 2022

Olympic Way tile murals will soon be on permanent public display!

 Guest post by Philip Grant. (Congratulations to Philip on this achievement as a result of his amazing persistence)

When I wrote last weekend about the heritage tile murals at Olympic Way being on display from 1st to 21st March, I mentioned that I was still waiting to receive a reply from Quintain to the New Year’s Day message I’d sent to their Chief Executive Officer.

 

Olympic Way murals on display in February 2020. (Photo by Mark Price, Brent Council)

 

I’m pleased to say that I have now received a letter from James Saunders at Quintain, and this is the good news:

 

‘Thank you for your letter dated 1st January 2022. We have given your request careful consideration.

 

We share your commitment to celebrating the heritage of the murals and can confirm that when the current advertisement consent for the Spiritflex Vinyl coverings to the abutment walls outside of Bobby Moore Bridge to the South East (SE) and South West (SW) expires on 25th August 2022 we will not seek to renew that consent.’

 

This means that these mural scenes, on the walls outside of the Bobby Moore Bridge subway at Wembley Park WILL be back on permanent public display by the end of August this year, after being covered with Quintain’s advertising, apart from short “reveals” since the autumn of 2013. 

 

Tile mural scenes on the east wall of the subway. (Composite by Amanda Rose, courtesy of Quintain)

 

I believe that this is an important step towards getting ALL of the murals, celebrating Wembley’s sports and entertainment history, back on permanent public display. But the battle for the murals on the walls of the subway itself (other than the “footballers” mural, which was put on display again in 2019, as a result of efforts by Wembley History Society) will be for another year.

 

The current “reveal” includes the remnant of the original Pop Music / “Live Aid” mural scene, on the west wall of Olympic Way, seen here in an old photograph:

 

The tile mural celebrating “Live Aid” as it originally looked.

 

Around 2006, TfL constructed a stairway down from the bus stop on the bridge to Olympic Way. In the process they removed much of this mural scene, apart from the drummer, and did a “patch up” with a different type of ceramic tile:

 

The “patched up” mural scene in 2012. (Google Street View image, courtesy of Quintain)

 

In his letter to me of 2 March, James Saunders wrote:

 

‘The newer (square format) tiling to the SW abutment staircase that was installed by TFL in 2006 was removed in c.2016 as the tiles were falling off the rendered wall. We would like to engage with you and the Wembley History Society to find the best solution for that area of the walls. The staircase would prevent a full recreation of the original section of the mural showing Mark Knopfler, Tina Turner and Freddy Mercury, but we are keen to reflect aspects of the original design, where possible.’

 

I’m sure that there are plenty of local people with more artistic and design skill than me! Before I take up Quintain’s offer to engage with them over possible design ideas, I would like to throw the discussion open to YOU

 

You can see the awkward, tapering shape of the area available for a restored (or new?) mural scene commemorating “Live Aid” at Wembley. Its scale at the subway end would have to fit in with that of the murals in the subway, which immediately adjoin it. Would it be best to retain the drummer section as it is, and design out from that? Or would it be better to replace, the drummer section, in order to give a larger “canvas” for a mural design? 

 

Close up view of part of a mural scene, showing how the tile designs are made.

 

It should be remembered that the mural scenes are made up of different coloured ceramic tiles which are oblong in shape, fixed vertically. The close-up example above (showing the way tiles were used to portray Michael Jackson’s dancing feet, in a mural scene currently hidden behind light boxes in the subway) gives an idea of how the mural designs are made.

 

This is the sorry state of the remains of the “Live Aid” mural scene now:

 

The mural scene, as “revealed” on a wet day in March 2022. (Courtesy of Quintain)

 

Can you help to design a much better tribute to “Live Aid”, please, which will grace the walls of Olympic Way as part of the murals celebrating Wembley’s sports and entertainment heritage for decades to come? If so, please suggest your ideas as a comment below, or send them (with a possible design, if you have one) to Martin. Thank you.


Philip Grant.