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All the United Kingdom England London Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel

Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel

A hands-off space for graffiti artists to hone and display their skills.

London, England

Added By
disastrophe
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The cycle of artists painting over prior pieces begins  
The cycle of artists painting over prior pieces begins  
An artist putting the finishing touches to her piece  
300 meters of graffiti  
(Flickr/Roubicek)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/roubicek/5083...
(Flickr/Roubicek)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/roubicek/5083...
(Flickr/The_Magician)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_magician/...
(Flickr/The_Magician)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_magician/...
(Flickr/The_Magician)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_magician/...
(Flickr/The_Magician)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_magician/...
  rosieL / Atlas Obscura User
Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel   Jules Renahan
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  spersephone / Atlas Obscura User
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  Ejene / Atlas Obscura User
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  rosieL / Atlas Obscura User
Reflections on Graffiti   MarkTimeTravel / Atlas Obscura User
  rosieL / Atlas Obscura User
  spersephone / Atlas Obscura User
  Ejene / Atlas Obscura User
Ceiling art   nldumm / Atlas Obscura User
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Leake St Vaults entrance   JZA / Atlas Obscura User
  nicoleroachh00 / Atlas Obscura User
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  rosieL / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In May, 2008, renowned street artist Banksy held the first Cans Festival in the Leake Street Tunnel. The play on the famous French film festival was a debut of the works of 29 famous street artists invited personally by Banksy, including one of the godfathers of stencil art, Blek le Rat.

Each artist began spraying down a section of wall with their own personal style, showcasing their work and starting a trend that changed Leake Street forever. Only six months after the festival, the road under the former Eurostar station passed into the control of Network Rail and the tunnel was made pedestrian only. Since that time, it has remained a hands-off graffiti area, where artists can show their work without arrest.

Everyday, artists work calmly and without fear as they decorate the walls and the ceiling with vivid color, designs and tags, creating a magnificent urban art gallery beneath Waterloo station.

Related Tags

Graffiti Banksy Tunnels Outsider Art Subterranean Sites

Know Before You Go

Underneath Waterloo Station

Community Contributors

Added By

disastrophe

Edited By

noplacelikeit, atimian, MarkTimeTravel, rosieL...

  • noplacelikeit
  • atimian
  • MarkTimeTravel
  • rosieL
  • nldumm
  • rbenn250
  • Michele010
  • JZA
  • nicoleroachh00
  • JulesR
  • spersephone
  • Snowdrop68
  • Ejene
  • FinalDescent
  • Bruxy

Published

October 14, 2011

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Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cans_Festival
  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7377622.stm
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leake_Street
Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel
Leake Street
Lambeth
London, England, SE1 7NN
United Kingdom
51.501506, -0.114956
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