Diespeker mural unveiled at HQ!

Street artist Lionel Stanhope has created a stunning mural for our HQ in Bermondsey. It’s just one of the ways we’re marking an impressive 140 years as a London-based specialist supplier of marble, granite and terrazzo products to businesses and homes in the UK and overseas.

Artist Lionel has painted sets for Hollywood and Disney and is well known for his work for Network Rail, recreating colourful retro signage under historic railway bridges in South London. Last year he painted a mural for Millwall FC in Zampa Road, just around the corner from Diespeker.

A reproduction of the original Diespeker building in London (this signage can still be seen at Diesper Wharf in Angel) from a photograph taken in 1932.

MD John Krause takes a starring role in the mural crossing one of his favourite London landmarks, Tower Bridge.

Diespeker’s classic logo, this replaces the mosaic that originally occupied this wall, bringing the old into the new.

This element of the design brings into focus a key feature of Diespeker’s business, the stone quarries where our stunning products come from!

London Bridge is a classic landmark located just a stones throw from our premises in Bermondsey (where this mural now lives).

This latest artwork, an impressive 13 by 5.5 metres, took Lionel and his assistant Martin just four days to paint, using his preferred medium of spray paint to create a striking image. It depicts scenes from our history including the marble quarries of Italy, transportation lorries and Diespeker’s original London headquarters at Diespeker Wharf in Islington with its iconic chimney stack. Part of the design was based on a photograph proudly displayed in our offices, which is believed to be from 1932.

Lionel says he particularly liked bringing together four different elements, incorporating the old photo with more illustrative elements as well as the lettering: “I think the design is really balanced so it works well in this space, and it has been really satisfying doing something on this big scale.”

Our Managing Director John Krause is depicted within the mural riding his bike to work across Tower Bridge. He says “We’re all really proud of our heritage and the mural portrays it perfectly. It’s the story behind our 140 years that Lionel has captured so well, our roots in London and our original Diespeker signage incorporated into the new design.

“For me, the mural really brings the whole thing full circle from early beginnings to where we are now. It feels very special to have our own memorable and permanent physical representation of Diespeker’s presence in South London.”

The mural is on public view at Diespeker’s main entrance in Penarth Street – please do take a look next time you visit.

You can see our timelapse film of Lionel’s work on the mural below.