Peter Davies (b. 1961) in Crewe is a photographer, teacher, and university administrator. He studied Film and Photographic Arts at the Polytechnic of Central London.

Peter: “This body of work was made over 40 years ago while I was a student at the Polytechnic and was led by the artist and photographer John Goto. John encouraged me to walk the streets of North Peckham day after day in a method-acting version of photography to see what kind of images it would generate. I think the work speaks of the shocking state of public housing at that time, a brutal environment of closed spaces, far-right graffiti, no ball games, and little prospect for a hopeful future for the people who lived there.

“It was an area with one of the highest population densities in Europe, and dereliction and crime were widespread. This persisted for many years, and in 2000, the then Bishop of Southwark described the estate as one of the toughest in Europe.”