Drama and culture on the Street Art walk

Rakie splendid in period velvet at the bottom of Charlton Church Lane, scene of the 1922 multiple crash caused by one of the new motor vehicles

Sunday's Street Art walk was a stimulating start to our events programme, with a dramatic pavement performance by Rakie Ayola, the Bafta-winner stage and screen actor. For those who couldn't join us, here's a whistle-stop canter round Tim's Tour.

First, many thanks to the 20 supporters who followed our guide Tim 3.5km round Charlton, starting - of course - at Mimi's Old Cottage Cafe in Charlton Park with a first stop at the skateboard park. All the features we would see have a community story, Tim said - just as the White Swan campaign has.

The youngsters who use the skatepark have made it colourful with graffiti - names, images, tagging - but how many of us had actually looked at it properly before? As we took time to do so, Tim said that like skateboarding, graffiti is anti-establishment: what did we think of it - is it legal? Is it art? Or is it vandalism? One supporter said it depends where it is - tagging in the skatepark is fine, but if it's opposite her front door that's another matter!

Carol with the Floyd Road community mural, faded but still vibrant

Like the Pied Piper, Tim led us down the hill and past the football ground to the faded but still fabulous community mural in Floyd Road. I have to admit that while I must have passed this house painting thousands of times, I've never stopped to take it in, so thanks Tim. And even more thanks to Charlton artist and historian Carol Kenna, who was a driving force behind and one of the original painters of the work and told us how it came about.

In 1976, she and her husband Steve Lobb worked with residents of the area who wanted to celebrate their victory in stopping the redevelopment of half of the road. All the figures on the gable end are portraits of real people - Carol is there in a purple dress - painted by locals and their children. It is a real celebration of community culture.

Our next stop, round the corner in Charlton Church Lane was street art of a different kind, a performance in costume by Rakie Ayola bringing to life a tragic road traffic accident from 1922. At the bottom of the road a multiple pile up began, said Rekie - splendid in purple velvet - when the brakes failed on of one of the new motor vehicles, which collided with a waggon whose horses bolted.

More vehicles were involved, eight people were reportedly injured and both the Waterman's Arms and the Antigallican pubs at the junction were crashed into. A contemporary report suggested the proximity of the pubs may have contributed to drivers' carelessness.

Rakie's enactment was certainly the highlight of Tim's tour but he also gave us a brief history of the sign painted on the railway bridge commissioned for the 100th anniversary of Charlton Athletic, in a "celebration of Charlton's spirit".

Navigating the maze of roadworks at the junction, Tim led us east for the Banksy on the wall of the RMS skip yard in the industrial estate. Banksy makes his art accessible for all in public spaces and that and his humour and anti-establishment ethos is what has made him so popular, he said.

The Rhino was number eight in his series of nine in the summer of 2024 - a depressing time for many - and Tim said Banksy wanted to make people smile - certainly there were many smiles on the faces of our 20 supporters. People have come from all over the country to see Charlton's much-loved Rhino, but will it survive the riverside redevelopment?

Community, culture and Charlton: what a fine way to spend a summer Sunday! Look out on our blog posts for news of future events.