back to search results

Better Than A Lick Of Paint

1978 , Southwark (Greater London)

Cat no. 5898

Documentation of a scheme to beautify a London housing estate.

In the London borough of Southwark, lies the Millpond council estate, surrounded by unsightly vacant land and derelict warehouses. Opening with a brief history of the neighbourhood, this film depicts a scheme to help improve the standard of living on the estate. With the co-operation of Southwark Council, fertiliser manufacturer Fisons has supplied three hundred 'Gro-Bags' for distribution along the balconies of the estate, which are planted with flowers, vegetables and tomatoes. A big community effort sees the plants given the dreary estate a much needed spot of colour, with similar schemes occurring in local schools. Revisiting the estate in August, the bright, colourful gardens are well established, with tomatoes and courgettes harvested and eaten by the residents. And by November, there is still a lot of colour, with some residents replanting their Gro-Bags with tulip bulbs.

Featured Buildings

Millpond Estate, London

Keywords

Beautification; Gardens; Housing estates; Plants

  • Production company : Douglas Fisher Productions

  • Sponsor : Fisons Garden Products

  • Director : Douglas Fisher

  • Camera : Douglas Fisher

  • Script : David Mann

  • Editor : Keith Judge

  • Sound : Tim Collins

  • Sound : Andrew Rowe

  • Sound : Nick Struthers

  • Sound : Lou Hanks (dubbing mixer)

  • Music : David Webb (The Millpond Song adapted and sung by)

  • Narrator : Anne Cullen

  • Narrator : Peter Blackburn-Maze

  • Narrator : Brian Tree

Manifestations

Better Than A Lick Of Paint

    Copyright restrictions apply.

    Please see our terms of use. Films on this website are provided for personal viewing. Should you wish to use the films in any other way please contact eafa@uea.ac.uk

    terms of use
    The data for this page was generated on 19/09/2025 03:59:43+00:00. Click to regenerate this page .