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If you take a walk through the unassuming south London suburb of Bermondsey, you might in for a surprise.
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There's something around the corner that's become a bit of a local legend. You might have heard the whispers and rumours. You might have thought it's ridiculous. But it's really there…
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Between the Georgian cottages and modern tower blocks, parked among the Volkswagen Polos and Fiat 500s, is 'Stompie', a real-life Soviet tank. But where did it come from? And why on earth is it here in Bermondsey?
LIFE Photo Collection
This tank isn't any old tank - it's a T-34. These tanks first rolled off the Soviet production lines in 1941, just before the Nazi invasion of the USSR. They played a crucial role in defeating the Nazis. From Stalingrad to Berlin, T-34s spearheaded almost every battle.
Its power lay in its revolutionary design. The T-34 combined robust mechanics with a powerful gun and technical ingenuity - it had angled armour, many enemy shells simply bounced off it. Throughout the war, its basic design was refined and upgraded.
By Michael RougierLIFE Photo Collection
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All sorts of urban myths have sprung up to explain this unusual garden ornament. One popular story says that this tank was originally owned by the Czech army, and may have played a part in the violent suppression of the 1968 Prague Spring.
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In 1995, after the fall of the Soviet Union, it was brought to London as a prop for the filming of Richard Loncraine's Richard III. It was sold to a scrap metal dealer, before being bought by a businessman, Russell Gray, who wanted to prank the local council.
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Gray had previously been refused planning permission. So he reapplied to install a 'tank'. The application was approved because the council believed it was for a septic tank. The tank was installed, and its gun was pointed provocatively at the council offices.
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Most military tanks are rather drab - olive green or khaki brown, maybe a few stripes and spots here and there - but in the years since its decommissioning, this tank has acquired several new psychedelic camouflage patterns.
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In 2002 it was painted pink by Cubitt Artists and Aleksandra Mir. In the years since, graffiti artists have taken to repainting the tank when they can. So, instead of a gunmetal grey, you might find a zebra-style dazzle pattern…
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…or polka-dotted…
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…and most often, simply a mess.
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However it's painted, it's a fascinating piece of history in an unexpected location. Why not visit it, if you can. If you can't, you can always check it out on Street View.
