New Work By Sir Peter Blake Celebrates Chiswick Empire Theatre

Marks 50th anniversary of Sgt Pepper album cover to benefit local 'Bridges' project

Sir Peter Blake has created a ‘pop art’ image of film stars, music hall artists, singers, dancers and comedians to celebrate his favourite theatre in Chiswick.

The Empire was once a major 2,000-seat theatre on Chiswick High Road. Greats such as Marie Lloyd, Vera Lynn, Julie Andrews, Laurel & Hardy, Cliff Richard, Morecambe & Wise and Liberace performed there. “It was the reason I moved to Chiswick,” says Sir Peter. “I visited all the time.”

With the ornate red brick theatre as a backdrop, and the crowd of performers in the foreground, Sir Peter has produced his fabulous image in the style of his Sergeant Pepper cover - 50 years ago this June! And now the work of the renowed pop artist will help the Turnham Green Railway Bridges mural, a community project in Chiswick where he has been a local resident for decades.

Local group, Abundance London, is creating a huge mural – 64m long in total, 2.5m high - to transform the dingy walls outside Turnham Green tube where the road passes below the District and Piccadilly lines. Sir Peter offered to provide an image for the mural, and even to create a limited edition set of 100 original signed and numbered giclée prints, unframed, to help fund the project.

"This is a brilliant personal tribute to the famous acts that came through Chiswick. I love it," says Sarah Cruz, the design lead on Abundance London’s mural project.

“Without Sir Peter’s support, this project would not be happening” says project organiser Karen Liebreich. “We hope that this richly detailed mural will become a major art landmark in the area.”

If you would like to support the mural – and get yourself a valuable and rare work of art by Peter Blake – apply via the website at chiswicktimeline.org A limited edition print will be available for sale at a cost of £225.

The London Borough of Hounslow, Transport for London, Fuller’s Brewery and many other local businesses and individuals are supporting this project.

Abundance London's ambitious project to transform the area under the railway bridges at Turnham Green Terrace, has made major progress. They hope to have the mural installed over the summer to brighten up what was an abandoned and dreary area outside the tube station.

Tiles depicting historical maps of various of Chiswick will be on sale for £30

The £50,000 project will consist of a mural 54 metres long and 2.5 m high. An artwork of historic maps is being created on vitreous enamel tiles representing the Chiswick loop of the River Thames, dating from 1610 to the current day.

The tiled timeline of historic maps showing the development of Chiswick through the centuries, from a tiny riparian village, through the Palladian era of Lord Burlington, and the creation of the world's first Garden Suburb, will be interspersed with works of art depicting local landmarks by some of the world-renowed artists who live and work in our area, from Sir Peter Blake to the late Mary Fedden, William Hogarth, to Johan Zoffany.

Jan Pienkowski, a well known illustrator of children's books ( Meg & Mog) has also created a new work for the mural, depicing a Russian Orthodox cathedral. Local resident Marthe Armitage who creates exquisite hand-printed wallpapers, has created a beautifully detailed lino-cut of Chiswick House Gardens. Martin Rowson, Guardian cartoonist, has created a 'burlesque' of Chiswick's Hogarth roundabout in the style of William Hogarth, depicting modern life and congestion.

The Abundance team of Karen Liebreich and Sarah Cruz, who spearheaded the project, are still seeking one more picture to complete the timeline. They have asked locals to help them find a painting of Chiswick from WW2,( preferably a painting instead of a photograph).

Locals can also help out with the final push of fundraising by purchasing some special items with links to the project. Or if you – or your business – would like to be named on the mural, that is also possible for a minimum donation of £500. Go to the website for further details.

Quality jute shopping bag with a map of Chiswick from 1745 for sale for £12.00: Stockists include Potpourri Florists or Foster Books on Chiswick High Road; Whisk Cookery or Top Hat Cleaners in Devonshire Road; Marmalade Fine Jewellery on Turnham Green Terrace.

May 4, 2017