Wembley tile murals: Locals call for artworks to be seen again

A mural of an athlete carrying an Olympic torch to mark the 1948 games is one of the works hidden by adverts

Locals have called on a council to put a series of tiled murals depicting Wembley's major events back on display after they were covered by advertising.

The hidden artworks were created when the approach to the famous stadium was pedestrianised ahead of Euro 1996.

In 2013 Brent Council agreed a lease with developers Quintain allowing for adverts to be put over the murals.

A petition has been launched for them to be "enjoyed again". The council said it was looking at "different options".

The tiled murals depict scenes such as a torch-carrying athlete with the Olympic flag, marking the 1948 Olympics, as well as the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, who played in Wembley Arena, and Michael Jackson's record-breaking stadium concerts in the 1980s.

They were commissioned by Brent Council when the Bobby Moore Bridge and subway were constructed in 1991 to pedestrianise Olympic Way, but in 2013 the lease was agreed allowing them to be covered by adverts.

Adverts have covered the tile murals under the Bobby Moore Bridge and along Olympic Way, as seen during a 2014 NFL match

In 2019 a mural showing England footballers playing in front of Wembley's old iconic twin towers was uncovered after a campaign by local historian Philip Grant, who is behind the latest efforts.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he said the works "give the area its sense of place and history".

"The thousands of new residents, as well as the millions of visitors, passing through the subway deserve to be able to enjoy them," he said.

The current advertising lease is scheduled for renewal in August and the petition, which has been signed by 68 people, calls for advertisements to only be allowed on the safety barriers of the bridge and not on the walls of the subway, meaning after more than a decade the murals would be seen again permanently.

The new lease has been put out for tender.

A mural of England's footballers at the Bobby Moore Bridge was uncovered in 2019

Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt described the Bobby Moore Bridge as "one of the most important points in Wembley".

"The cultural impact of the bridge cannot be understated, as well as this being a valuable council asset, which has successfully generated much-needed commercial income over recent years," he said.

He added the council was "aware of the petition and will consider a report with two different options for advertising later in May", but added neither would lead to any tiles being removed.

One of the murals depicts Michael Jackson who played a series of record breaking concerts at Wembley Stadium

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