Mr Pink was born in Jamaica and moved to the UK in 1957, buying t a dilapidated Victorian house in Lewisham 10 years later. Mr Pink took it upon himself to paint the house in vibrant colours, tend to his garden and carve out a sculpted face on the exterior of the house.
Photo courtesy of David Secombe, 1999
When I just bought it, well, it was not beautiful. But since I take it over and added myself towards it, I developed it to have a lightness. My additions make a difference, brighten it up. I’ve created a part of Jamaica here. Some like this house and some may not like it, I don’t know. But I know a lot of people like it and I like it myself.
The bright red, blue and yellow house became a local favourite, where Mr Pink himself would often be seen gardening in his floral hats, playing guitar, playing records and often talking to his plants.
Photo courtesy of the Garden Museum
I love plants. Since I also cultivated in Jamaica, I came here and couldn’t get the plants how I used to. Coffee and chocolate. So these flowers, they remind me of the plantation that we do in Jamaica. My house and everything here is like a rainbow.
Mr Pink’s house is much celebrated for its outward expression of Jamaican culture. While Mr Pink worked by day as a street sweeper for Lewisham council, his house was a colourful enclave of his own expression and eccentric character. He has been praised as a horticulture hero and his home is heralded as a local landmark.
Artwork courtesy of Hazel Terry
Sadly, Mr Pink passed away in 2017, and his once vibrant and unique home has seen better days. However, his eccentric character and status as a local legend lives on in this wonderful short documentary ‘A Portrait of Mr Pink’ made by fellow Lewisham native, Helena Appio.
You can watch the film in full on YouTube.