The Long Wall background
from page 5 of The Round Hill Reporter June 2016.
Plans for improvement
Now this is not a clear-cut issue, indeed what to do, or not to do, about this wall at the west end of Upper Lewes Road and running up Wakefield Road is fraught with conflicting views.
It is certainly illegal to paint on someone else’s wall without their permission - it constitutes criminal damage. But it is becoming the norm to feel free to paint on what is perceived as an un-owned wall, and certainly changing this wall from tagged and spray-painted to magnolia is providing a new canvas for people holding that view.
Whilst we painted it on Saturday 21st May the most common remark I heard was essentially: “Why bother, they’ll only do it again?” The first tagging happened just 45 minutes after we left, and by midnight on Saturday a guy was busy putting up his complex mark on the wall. Both these additions were over-painted on Sunday morning.
The three local associations of residents have all agreed that a long-term solution is needed, and we think a combination of commissioned artwork and self-clinging plants might be that solution. We are looking for artists who might undertake commissions. What kind of artwork? Perhaps it should be naturalistic in colour and design, perhaps reflecting the qualities of the three residential areas (Triangle, Round Hill and Sylvan Hall) or some aspect of their histories. As for self-clinging plants, you can see the exact effect on the western boundary wall of Buckingham Palace gardens, near Victoria Station. There is a four inch strip of soil at the foot of the wall from which a variety of climbing plants are growing. We would undertake to trim the plants back so that they do not interfere with pedestrian use of the pavement.
Perhaps the people with the greatest right to have their views heard are those who live opposite the wall, who live with the wall most of the time. We are still hoping to engage with more residents, and perhaps this item will encourage further.
from page 5 of The Round Hill Reporter October 2016.
The Long Wall
Moving towards a solution
The wall at the bottom of Wakefield Rd and Upper Lewes Rd has remained mainly free of tagging and graffiti, thanks largely to the vigilant use of paint brush and roller by a resident of Wakefield Rd. We have found a muralist who can paint realistic images of places, and have asked him to price one, two and three separate murals each taking up about 18 feet of wall length.
They will not be cheap, but we would like to gather ideas for subject matter. Your committee seem to favour a historical theme – perhaps featuring parts of the Round Hill scene now lost. But we would like lots of ideas to flow in, and if you have images to pass on that would be even better. Contact a committee member (see back page) or use the Round Hill Noticeboard (on Facebook).
from page 6 of The Round Hill Reporter March 2018.
New Plans for the Long Wall
Better for ecology, noise reduction and air quality
If you are a regular reader of the Reporter you will know the long wall saga is not new. It all started in 2015 when the wall received some very bright and rather angry images, well executed but not to everyone’s taste. After canvassing local opinion we asked the Council to paint over it all, as shown below.
Based on their feedback we have put together a bid for support and funding to create a green living (mainly ivy) wall growing over and merging with a mural depicting local flora and fauna. Not only will this make a lovely vista for many people living locally, it will also help reduce pollution along this busy road. Support and involvement from Round Hill residents is very welcome.
Ivy is great – a good refuge for insects and a food store for birds - and it has other positive benefits. Researchers have found that, because pollution cannot easily escape street canyons, 'green walls' of grass, climbing ivy and other plants have a better opportunity than previously thought to act as an air pollution filter. Instead of reducing pollution by 1 or 2%, reductions of more than ten times this have been measured.
Air quality in the playground of a school in Kensington and Chelsea has been monitored since before a green wall was planted. The screen was found to be an effective pollution barrier once the ivy had started growing and a significant impact could be seen once the screen had matured. The ivy screen led to a decrease in the pollution concentrations on the playground side of the screen by 24% for Nitrogen Dioxide and 38% for small particulate matter; both were higher than the measurement uncertainty and thus significant. Comparing school hours independently a reduction in concentrations of up to 36% and 41% were found for NO2 and particulates, respectively. This demonstrates that the screen is very effective during daytime hours, when both emissions and exposure are highest.
Planted surfaces have one more benefit. They have low noise reflectivity and high noise absorption properties. Ambient noise is reduced by green wall systems, improving conditions for nearby building occupants and pedestrians.
See The Long Wall continued October 2021 and December 2021.
This page was last updated by Ted on 24-Apr-2026