Blake’s Lambeth: William Blake Inspired Mosaic Murals

“Tyger Tyger, burning bright,. In the forests of the night. What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” You may, or may not, recognise these lines from the poem Tyger, Tyger by 18th-century visionary, Willam Blake.

Blake was a London-born and bred artist, most famous for his poems, prints and paintings. While he was born and grew up in Soho, on today’s Broadwick Street, from 1790-1800 he lived on Hercules Road in North Lambeth, today close to Archbishop’s Park and the Imperial War Museum.

While his property has long since been demolished, his presence in the area is celebrated by a series of 70 mosaics in the nearby railway tunnels which lead to Waterloo Station.

The mosaics, which are reproductions of his famous works from books such as The Songs of Innocence, The Songs of Experience and the Marriage of Heaven and Hell, can be found along the parallel tunnels of Centaur Street, Virgil Street and Carlisle Lane.

I’ve lived in Lambeth for many years now, but had no idea these existed, so I had to get down there to check them out and take in all the artistic wonderment. There’s surprisingly a lot to explore, with a range of art pieces as well as reproductions of text from his most famous poems. However, I would recommend doing a quick bit of research on his most renowned works if you want to appreciate the murals in a bit more depth.