Paying tribute to education pioneer Dr Beryl Gilroy in West Hampstead for LDN WMN

In 2018, City Hall began a project with Tate Collective called LDN WMN, commemorating some of London’s most influential figures through free artworks and installations, all created by women or non-binary artists. Somewhat delayed by the COVID pandemic, the project’s final commission has now been unveiled - paying tribute to Dr Beryl Gilroy.
Dr Beryl Gilroy battled through the overt discrimination of her time to “study Child Development, become an acclaimed author, respected broadcaster, and Camden’s first Black headteacher”. As a writer and ethno-psychotherapist, her contributions to education and development cannot be understated - still being considered revolutionary all these years later.
To celebrate Dr Beryl Gilroy’s life and achievements, we worked alongside the Greater London Authority to realise the installation of a commemorative triptych by visual artist Fipsi Seilern. Stretching 15 metres in length, it now sits on display outside West Hampstead Primary School, formerly Beckford Primary School, where Dr Gilroy was headteacher. Launched with an event that brought together her daughter Darla Gilroy, the Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice, the GLA, the school’s staff, and its students, Dr Gilroy’s lasting legacy became a way to look at the strength in the capital’s community’s past - to inspire for its future.