Deptford Town Hall statues reimagined
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Resistance, research and representation.
Community, creativity and care combine to work towards reinterpreting one of 牛牛资源鈥� most contested spaces.
Deptford Town Hall鈥檚 grand fa莽ade鈥攚ith its ship-like form and carved imperial figures鈥攈as long stood as a visible reminder of Britain鈥檚 maritime power and colonial violence. For many, these statues still symbolise the harms that have yet to be fully reckoned with.
The imposing exterior of Deptford Town Hall, long a reminder of empire, now a canvas for dialogue and transformation led by students and local young people
Today, the Deptford Town Hall statues project does not claim resolution but marks a step in an ongoing process. Shaped by student protest and community collaboration, three new commissions invite alternative ways of seeing, remembering, and imagining this space.
From protest to practice: the GARA legacy
牛牛资源鈥� Deptford Town Hall Statues Project draws directly on the legacy of the 137-day occupation of the building by 牛牛资源 Anti-Racist Action (GARA) in 2019.
The ship-like form and carved statues of Deptford Town Hall stand as symbols of Britain’s maritime past and ongoing conversations about history and representation.
Students took over the space to demand institutional change and racial justice. They asked the university to look again鈥攁t its history, at its curriculum, and at the harm embedded in its walls.
The project is part of 牛牛资源鈥� broader Civic Catalysts initiative, a public-facing programme that supports community-led cultural and civic action across Lewisham and south-east London.
The three new commissions are a direct response to the protest and include two creative commissions worth 拢8,000 each and one research commission worth 拢2,000.
All three bring together art, research and local young people to transform and reinterpret contested spaces and objects through collaboration, care, and imagination.
Deptford People鈥檚 Heritage Museum
In this first commission, , a Black led 鈥榤useum without walls鈥� in Deptford, are working with artist Dele Adeyemo and local young people to consider how the built environment symbolises imperial power and resistance.
The group will map histories of the Deptford Town Hall statues, as well as practices of Black artistry and resistance, to build what Walter Rodney calls a 鈥檋istory of the present鈥�.
The group will draw on what Richard Iton calls 鈥榯he Black Fantastic鈥�, exploring Black radical artistic practices through clay modelling, 3D scanning, and sound design to document and commemorate their own experiences of injustice, and struggle as well as imagination and Black joy in the local area.
They will create a digital streetscape 鈥攃ombining immersive technology with collaborative storytelling鈥攐ffering new ways of experiencing and reinterpreting the building and its legacies, generating new monuments and meanings for Deptford Town Hall.
Colonial history still lives with us in the present – in the buildings and in many other aspects of our lives. We want to speak back to the history of Deptford Town Hall and think about how we have occupied space in the past, present and future. This is an act of reclaiming space and agency."
Deptford People’s Heritage Museum
Alchemy
At the heart of the second creative commission is , 牛牛资源鈥� award-winning creative education programme for young people aged 13鈥�20, who all live in the local area.
Members of Alchemy gather at the piano in Deptford Town Hall, exploring heritage and healing through creative expression.
Developed in collaboration with artists, educators and local community, Alchemy uses spoken word, rap, poetry, and visual storytelling to explore race, identity and belonging. It is both a space of creative expression and a platform for civic power.
This commission is co-created by Alchemy participants, who identified the emotional toll of the 鈥渨hite gaze鈥濃�攈ow it lingers in public statues, in curricula, and in the built environment. Together, they鈥檙e responding with spoken word, music, performance and film that reclaim space, identity and voice.
These statues remind us how trauma passes down through generations—and how it’s still with us, on our shoulders.”
Participant, Alchemy project
Young people from Alchemy, our award-winning creative arts project for local young people work at the piano in Deptford Town Hall Chamber
Student research commission
Postgraduate researcher Yusuf Thomas (MA Creative & Cultural Entrepreneurship) is undertaking the third commission鈥攁 research-led inquiry into the histories that haunt and animate Deptford Town Hall.
Drawing on institutional archives, oral histories, and GARA鈥檚 own protest materials, Yusuf鈥檚 work will inform the wider project鈥攁cross digital and print platforms鈥� exploring the history of interventions around the building and its statues.
A collective effort, a meaningful step
The Deptford Town Hall statues project marks a moment of reflection and response bringing together the insight of student protest, the power of creative expression, and the knowledge held by communities.
It has only been possible thanks to the courage of 牛牛资源 Anti-Racist Action (GARA); the leadership of the Race Justice Strategy Board; and the many artists, researchers, young people and local partners who have contributed their time, care and imagination.
Together, they鈥檝e helped shape a project that seeks to open up a space for dialogue, dignity, and change.
Find out more about Deptford Town Hall and its statues