“To stand before an empty wall as in a trance… to let shapes cloudily emerge, to draw scenes and figures, to let light and dark rush out of the surface, to make them move outward or recede into the depths, this was bliss.”   Hans Feibusch on mural painting       Europe Day […]

  Join Elaine Andrews, Morley College’s Librarian, and Sarah Dallas, from St John’s Waterloo, as they take us around SE1 discovering our local heritage. Find the route below.       Festivalcast, the Waterloo Festival’s podcast series, is brought to you by Morley Radio.                   The following […]

  For the third time running, Waterloo Festival, in collaboration with Bridge House Publishing, organised a writing competition over the winter along the theme of Transforming Communities. Writers were invited to interpret freely the theme in a 1000-word story. We announced the winners a few weeks ago.   As part of the celebrations, we’ll be […]

  The London Group (TLG) is teaming up again with Waterloo Festival over two exhibitions at this year’s edition, later in June. We both have a shared past: the Festival of Britain 1951, for which St John’s served as the ‘Festival Church’ and several artists from the TLG contributed. David Redfern, Archivist at TLG, explores […]

  On the 11th of May 1818 The Old Vic, the Waterloo-based but world-famous producing theatre, was founded as The Royal Coburg Theatre.       Back in 2018, The Old Vic celebrated its 200th birthday. Check out 200 pictures which the team behind the theatre put together to celebrate the past, the present and […]

  by Shanon Shah           Michaiah Mukiibi at St John’s Waterloo (courtesy of Michaiah Mukiibi)       The nationwide lockdown that started at the end of March 2020 meant that the St John’s congregation was suddenly deprived of the talented Michaiah Mukiibi’s weekly flourishes at the organ during the Sunday […]

  The London Group (TLG) is teaming up again with Waterloo Festival over two exhibitions at this year’s edition, later in June. We both have a shared past: the Festival of Britain 1951, for which St John’s served as the ‘Festival Church’ and several artists from the TLG contributed. David Redfern, Archivist at TLG, explores […]

  On the 30th of April 1979 Prince Charles opened the Jubilee Line which runs from Stratford to Stanmore, going all the way through London – including Waterloo! Take a look at this great news report from Channel 4 of Prince Charles opening the line at Green Park station.             […]

  Fête de la Musique (World Music Day) is celebrated globally on 21st June. We hear from Christopher Stark, conductor of the Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra about an American Symphony which embodies ‘Transforming Communities’.           Christopher Stark rehearsing the Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra (ERSO) at St John’s Waterloo, ahead of a […]

  For the duration of this year’s Waterloo Festival, Storyradio will be our resident storytellers. With a story every two weeks, Storyradio will be producing this creative series with a Waterloo theme.               The second feature is Persepolis, by Miki Lentin (click here to listen!). It tells the story […]

  In an alternate universe, in this year’s Waterloo Festival ERSO would have been proudly presenting a concerto performed by the winner of the 2020 ERSO Soloist of the Year. Sadly that can’t happen, but we wanted to let you all know more about the competition and why it takes place.       The […]

  by Robert Montero   Located off York Road, Leake Street wasn’t always like this. Set underneath the Waterloo Station complex, it used to serve vehicles looking for a shortcut when the Eurostar was based in Waterloo. Then in the 1960s, it was a hub for wine merchants to sell their wares. In some ways, […]

  We’re now exploring the Churchyard at St John’s Waterloo, its history, its plants and its kind carers. Jonathan Trustram, from the Churchyard, reflects on the recent stories of the churchyard.           Putting Down Roots (PDR) is the gardening project run by St Mungos’ to provide voluntary work and training for […]

  You can’t have missed the skaters whizzing down the Embankment on their way to the Southbank Skate Space. Luckily today the space is protected but a few years ago they had to launch a campaign to keep it from being redeveloped.       When a group of researchers from University of Sussex caught […]

  While businesses are closed around Waterloo we want to bring you their work and promote their business through our digital festival. Next up we have Platform Southwark, a gallery, rehearsal space, co-working offices and artist’s studios.       We spoke to artist and co-founder of the space Sean Rohr about their work and […]

  Every Tuesday for the duration of Waterloo Festival 2020, we’ll be meeting an artist who either lives in or is connected to Waterloo. Chris Clarke, artist and teacher is our guest this week.             1 – Exhibition Poster (2018)   I believe it was always on the cards that […]

  Every year, the 8th of May is celebrated as Victory in Europe Day, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe as fighting against Nazi Germany came to an end in 1945 following their surrender the previous day.       Situated in the heart of London, Waterloo has its share of […]

  The first article in this series (as well as this wonderful monologue) featured the current Waterloo Bridge and the story behind its construction. Matt Brown goes in search of our long lost span.           I first encountered the shade of Old Waterloo Bridge while exploring the heights of Belsize Park. […]

  Waterloo Festival, an online extravaganza of art, music, environment and heritage and a celebration of the diverse communities of Waterloo and the South Bank, is now fully underway and running throughout June 2020.       Festival Director Euchar Gravina said: “I’d encourage everyone to take a digital wander through Waterloo Festival. You’ll find […]

  For centuries Waterloo has been one of London’s most notable homes for entertainment. In 1768 a man named Philip Astley opened his famous Amphitheatre and changed the history of entertainment forever.   Philip Astley’s Amphitheatre was opened in 1768 and is recognised as the world’s first modern circus. In his early life Astley was […]

  For the third time running, Waterloo Festival, in collaboration with Bridge House Publishing, organised a writing competition over the winter along the theme of Transforming Communities. Writers were invited to interpret freely the theme in a 1000-word story. And we can now announce the winners!       Mehreen Ahmed: Dolly Gail Aldwin: The […]

  World Press Freedom Day fell last weekend on 3rd May. Through a series of interviews and articles with journalists and activists, our Artistic Director Euchar Gravina is exploring press freedom as a fundamental component of any healthy democracy and transforming communities. Our next guest is James Hatts, who runs SE1 News, a local media […]

  For the third time running, Waterloo Festival, in collaboration with Bridge House Publishing (BHP), organised a writing competition over the winter along the theme of Transforming Communities. Writers were invited to interpret freely the theme in a 1000-word story.       Our winners were announced in early May. Gill James wrote to us: […]

  from The Museum of Things That Dont’s Stand Still       To finish off Waterloo Festival 2020, we’re exhibiting a project by postgraduate students at the University of Westminster. ‘Waterloo Lives’ features collected memories from Waterloo and North Lambeth residents.           Devised over the course of Spring 2019 by […]