Portrait of Jimmy Riley

This image is from a portfolio by Simon Redington called 'Hostel', which was produced over a three year period while the artist was employed by St. Mungo's Housing Association.

The print series features portraits of people sleeping rough in Lincoln's Inn Fields, an area of the city described by the artist as 'a microcosm of the social situation in Britain'. Working from life, the artist worked straight onto the etching plate, without making preliminary studies or sketches.

This is a bust portrait of Jimmy Riley in front of the Salvation Army Hostel in Garford Street, near Limehouse. Canary Wharf tower can be seen in the distance. Riley, a heavy drinker, was the only 'Hostel' resident who volunteered to be drawn by Redington.

Redington worked full-time at St. Mungo's Housing Association, first as a Hostel Supervisor and then as part of an Outreach Team which advised homeless people on available facilities and assisted with their rehabilitation.

The Department of Environment provided funding for a group of outreach officers to visit Lincoln's Inn Fields regularly. St. Mungo's Association worked with teams such as Thamesreach to help the homeless people who used the square, which was one of the largest homeless sleeping sites in London. During the 1990s, the Fields were closed and new railings were erected, displacing the homeless people who had slept there.