Adjaye Associates completes Cherry Groce Memorial Pavilion in Brixton
Adjaye Associates completes important and visually striking Cherry Groce Memorial Pavilion in Brixton's Windrush Square

Michelle Äärlaht - Photography
It was only last summer that Adjaye Associates unveiled its concept for the Cherry Groce memorial design in London's Brixton. Now, less than a year on, the important monument by David Adjaye and his team has been built and installed on site at Windrush Square, the neighbourhood in which Groce lived.
The structure commemorates Groce, who in 1985, was shot by police in her London home at the age of 37. She was left paralyzed, and passed away less than 30 years later, as a direct result of her injuries. The memorial was commissioned by the Cherry Groce Foundation, a charity founded to support marginalised Black, Caribbean and African communities.
Acting as an installation to honour Groce and a visual reminder of the event to all, the pavilion was also created as a place for the local community. Integrated benches provide space for passers-by to sit and children to play, while its single, strong column represents Groce's strength; and its gravity-defying, triangular canopy mirrors the community's ability to shelter and protect. Structural engineers AKT II ensured the installation is balanced to perfection.
‘I am honoured to celebrate the unveiling of this project and the representation it brings to the black community for Brixton, London, and the UK at large,' says Adjaye. ‘It is my sincere hope that the restorative justice that is borne from the making of this pavilion can help us all learn from and be better neighbors to each other in the city that we live in.'
The memorial was unveiled on 25 April 2021 at a ribbon cutting ceremony in Windrush Square.
INFORMATION
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Prodrive updates its sleek racing simulator with new craft and fresh tech
Race at home in style with the latest version of Prodrive’s racing simulator, now equipped with Bang & Olufsen sound
-
A local architect’s guide to Joshua Tree
Mirtilla Alliata di Montereale shares her favourite things to do to slow down, look closely, and discover Joshua Tree through a more intentional lens
-
Art meets perfume in cross-disciplinary fragrance series Nez 1+1
Talents from film and fragrance come together to create Ansongo, the latest scent resulting from a creative matchmaking project by perfume revue Nez
-
Shard Place offers residents the chance to live in the shadow of London’s tallest building
The 27-storey tower from Renzo Piano Building Workshop joins The Shard and The News Building to complete Shard Quarter, providing a sophisticated setting for renters
-
Kengo Kuma’s ‘Paper Clouds’ in London is a ‘poem’ celebrating washi paper in construction
‘Paper Clouds’, an installation by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is a poetic design that furthers research into the use of washi paper in construction
-
Foster + Partners to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II
For the Queen Elizabeth II memorial, Foster + Partners designs proposal includes a new bridge, gates, gardens and figurative sculptures in St James’ Park
-
Wolves Lane Centre brings greenery, growing and grass roots together
Wolves Lane Centre, a new, green community hub in north London by Material Cultures and Studio Gil, brings to the fore natural materials and a spirit of togetherness
-
A new London exhibition explores the legacy of Centre Pompidou architect Richard Rogers
‘Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings’ – opening tomorrow at Sir John Soane’s Museum – examines Rogers’ high-tech icons, which proposed a democratic future for architecture
-
At the Royal Academy summer show, architecture and art combine as never before
The Royal Academy summer show is about to open in London; we toured the iconic annual exhibition and spoke to its curator for architecture, Farshid Moussavi
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshop
New Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on life
Thanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being reborn as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend