28 Sep 2018

Commit Some Nuisance for Bankside

One of the ‘bonus’ stops on my Bankside Ghostsigns Walk is a pair of signs on the back The Borough Welsh Congregational Chapel (Doyce Street and Great Guildford Street). These convey the euphemistic line, ‘Commit No Nuisance‘, which translates to ‘please don’t urinate here’. Many other examples exist across London and the world, one of which I share in the free tours app.

The sign has served as inspiration for NB Studio‘s Nick Finney when designing his flag for the ‘Bankside Flags’ collaboration with Better Bankside. This consisted of inviting over 40 of London’s leading artists and designers to create a flag that celebrates some aspect of Bankside’s history and culture. The re-working of ‘commit no nuisance’ to ‘commit some nuisance’ references what was once London’s rowdy pleasure quarter, where visitors could be entertained with everything from bear-baiting to theatres, brothels to gambling dens.

The Bankside Flags project was developed to coincide with events for the London Design Festival, including a procession to their final hanging place in Borough Market’s Jubilee Place. They will remain there until 7th October, after which they will be auctioned via the dedicated website [Link expired] to raise money for community organisations in the area.

• Art
• Bankside
• Better Bankside
• Borough Market
• Commit No Nuisance
• LDF18
• London
• London Design Festival
• NB Studio
• Nick Finney
• UK