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Bust

Wall of the Ancestors - leftmost

Erection date: /9/1997

According to the plaque these are, clockwise from top left: Pete Pope, Tony O'Leary, Grinling Gibbons, Shirley Stewart.

 confirms that these heads are correctly identified, but gives Shirley's surname as Steward.

Site: Wall of the Ancestors (3 memorials)

SE8, George Beard Road, Aragon Tower, north-east (riverside) wall of

This tower was erected in the 1960s/70s as part of the Pepys Estate.

From the platform one could get some good pictures of these 16 heads, but the platform is inaccessible; you can go up the steps at the left but no further, hence our rather unsatisfactory photographs.

A small plaque at the left reads:
"Wall of the Ancestors" Pete Pope, Tony O'Leary, Dave O'Hara, Tommy Marin; Shirley Stewart, Grinling Gibbons, Metrina, Sir Francis Drake.

A small plaque at the right reads:
"Wall of the Ancestors" Debra Lee, Phineas Pett, Tsar Peter the Great, Dr Burnhart Gloss; Queen Elizabeth 1st, Olaudah Equiano, Michael Hamilton, Catherine of Aragon. Thanks to Berkeley Homes, Deptford Discovery Team, Sustrans.

We believe each plaque is attempting to identify the 8 characters nearest to it, left to right, top row first, then bottom row, but that there has been some confusion. Taking the plaques at face value (ha, ha): Phineas Pett, a 17th century shipwright is wearing a crown; the Tsar is looking rather humdrum and 20th century; Metrine (a girl's name currently popular in the black community) seems to be wearing a  medieval headdress, as does Debra Lee.

The faces were probably correctly identified when first erected but the building and this artwork have been "renewed" and in the process we think the heads suffered a random shuffle.

The block was erected in 1964 as social housing. The Wall of the Ancestors was added in 1997. In 2002-6 the Tower was renovated, reclad, extended upwards and sold as private flats. As part of this work the heads were reconfigured and new plaques provided. We've also read that the heads were recast at this time. See the original arrangement . The heads are made of cream cast stone and each is about a metre high.

More information at and .

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Wall of the Ancestors - leftmost

Subjects commemorated i

Grinling Gibbons

Born Rotterdam. Wood carver and sculptor. Other works in London: a marble fon...

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Tony O'Leary

Resident of the Pepys Estate, active in the community.

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Pete Pope

The Picture source and Transpontine explain that Pope was a local activist an...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Wall of the Ancestors - leftmost

Created by i

Michael Bond (sculptor)

We can't identify this sculptor.  

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Wall of the Ancestors - leftmost

Also at this site i

Wall of the Ancestors - middling

Wall of the Ancestors - middling

According to the plaque these are, clockwise from top left: Dave O'Hara, Tomm...

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Wall of the Ancestors - rightmost

Wall of the Ancestors - rightmost

According to the plaque these are, clockwise from top left: Debra Lee, Phinea...

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Nearby Memorials

Edgar Allan Poe - N16  - Bust

Edgar Allan Poe - N16 - Bust

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Here is a  video of the unveiling.

1 subject commemorated, 4 creators
St Dunstans -  Lord Northcliffe

St Dunstans - Lord Northcliffe

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Keats House at Guy's - bust 4 - Astley Paston Cooper

Keats House at Guy's - bust 4 - Astley Paston Cooper

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Apologies for the lack of focus on this one - partly due to the carving being so weather-worn that our camera had trouble focussing (when...

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The George

The George

W1, D'Arblay Street, 1

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1 subject commemorated