William Blake Mosaics
blake's visions, tiled under the tracks
An open-air gallery of bright mosaics under the railway near Waterloo, honouring the visionary poet William Blake.
Free to visit · Lambeth · Lambeth North · SE1 7HR
Opening: Always open
Tucked under the railway arches near Waterloo, in the Lambeth streets where William Blake once lived and had his visions, is a free open-air gallery of mosaics celebrating the poet and artist. Bright tiled panels recreate his images and verses across the brickwork, turning a gloomy underpass into something genuinely uplifting.
Blake walked these streets in the 1790s and said he saw angels in the trees nearby, so the mosaics feel rooted rather than bolted on. It takes only a few minutes to see, costs nothing, and rewards anyone willing to look up while passing through one of the less obviously pretty corners of Lambeth.
Getting there: Around Centaur Street and the railway arches near Lambeth North and Waterloo.
Best time to go: Any daylight hour, easily folded into a walk between Waterloo and Lambeth North.
Insider tip: Find them along Centaur Street and the arches nearby, and look out for the lines of Blake's own verse worked into the tiles. It is a quick free stop on a walk between the South Bank and the Imperial War Museum.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide