£15k to help restore the Kentish Drovers mural

The Heritage of London Trust is contributing £15k to help restore the historic mural on the former Kentish Drovers pub.

The Kentish Drovers is an early Victorian pub at the junction of Old Kent Road and Commercial Way.

Currently operating as a Thai restaurant, the building has been Grade II Listed, largely thanks to the unique, curved mural which adorns the facade.

Kentish Drovers Pub as it looks today

The mural, which was installed in the late 19C by Daulton’s of Lambeth (now Royal Daulton), depicts a bucolic scene featuring drovers on horseback delivering their cattle to market.

The mural has clearly seen better days, having been weathered and worn over the years. However, research commissioned by Southwark Council has revealed it can be successfully restored. 

The council is committed to preserving and protecting the heritage of Old Kent Road while also delivering the new homes and infrastructure that the area needs.

The most recent update of the Old Kent Road Area Action Plan includes proposals for five new conservations areas and also identified all the local historic buildings to be preserved.

Restoring the Drovers mural, with the generous help of a £15k grant from the Heritage of London Trust, will mean this little piece of Old Kent Road history can be enjoyed by many more generations to come.

The trust will also use the restoration project as a tool for teaching local school children about the heritage and history of Old Kent Road.

Further funding is expected to come from S106 and Community Infrastructure Levy payments from local developers.

Find out more about the history of Old Kent Road.