Rachel Lillie
Kingston School of Art
Some Chingford Walls – assembling an archive through community research
Panel: Materiality
“A brick heightens our material consciousness and in turn makes us think about value” Richard Sennet, The Craftsman
‘Some Chingford Walls’ is a community research project about everyday heritage and the value we place on seemingly mundane things. The project centres around a specific type of residential wall in Chingford, a suburban town in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. These walls, known as ‘burr’ walls, have been gradually disappearing over time. Made from re-used ‘waster’ bricks—a discarded byproduct of the once-prevalent local brickworks—each wall is an improvised mass of irregularly shaped bricks.
The primary theme of this presentation is Heritage as Process. It will share the project in progress and reflect on the methods and approaches used in documenting the walls and engaging residents through participatory research workshops. The project combines illustrative and material culture methods, incorporating the use of print, creative writing, and discussion to bring attention to the walls through our personal connections to them.
By investigating the material significance and social histories of the walls and the brickfield itself, we uncover the forgotten stories of Chingford’s brickfield—stories of trade and labour, industrial craftsmanship, creativity, resourcefulness, and the residential development of a suburb. The project also explores our connection to the architectural identity of place and how this affects our sense of belonging and value as it evolves over time.
While these stories shed light on a largely overlooked aspect of Chingford’s heritage, the project also delves into broader themes of re-use, value, and care. It raises critical questions: Why do the walls demand our attention and care now? Who cares if no one cares? How can we discuss value in both material and cultural terms, and how does this influence our future sense of place?
Drawing on existing knowledge and generating new insights through resident participation, the research and documentation will be shared as a web archive and exhibition for a wider audience. This presentation proposes the illustrator as an active community contributor, playing a crucial collaborative role in assembling and sharing a narrative around research and place heritage.
Rachel is an Illustrator and Educator. Her work explores ideas around investigation of place, utilising and adapting field methods and archival research.
Drawn to overlooked stories and observations, her work highlights how we experience place, particularly the interweaving of the past in the present. Working across a range of processes and forms; from print to participation, she is interested in how illustration can contribute to ‘the local’ – a place to participate in, connect to and care for people and spaces.
Rachel is Senior Lecturer and Acting Course Leader on the BA Illustration Animation at Kingston School of Art. She has worked with and for heritage and educational institutions, archivists, architects, curators, museums, local history societies and members of the public.