Luke Jerram's Helios comes to Downham, London

In 2025, Helios is embarking on a tour of National Trust properties and other locations, including Lewisham as part of the Downham Cottage Estate Centenary celebrations. You can see it at Durham Hill, near Downham Health & Leisure Centre, 7-9 Moorside Rd, Bromley BR1 5EW from 19 - 22 June from 7am until 11pm*.

What is Helios?

This is a unique opportunity to see and experience a compelling piece of art which prompts feelings of awe, belonging, gratitude and inquisitiveness.

Named after the sun god in ancient Greek mythology, Helios succeeds Luke's previous large scale installations, Museum of the Moon and Gaia. One centimetre of this impressive sculpture represents 2,000km of the sun's surface. Together with the soundscape created from NASA recordings, this immersive experience allows you to explore the intricacies, power and scale of the sun's surface in a way you never have before.

What's on?

Helios will be installed and lit from 7am - 11pm each day*. Other activities include:

Thursday 19 & Friday 20 June
Pre-booked poetry workshops with Yasmin Ali and local primary school students.

Saturday 21 June
Join us at 3.30am to watch the sun rise on the longest day of the year. Bring rugs and blankets and settle down for this unforgettable experience.

11am - 4pm. Downham Celebrates family festival

1pm - 5pm. Drop-in craft workshop led by Philo for all ages. Contribute to a collective sun collage made from recycled materials, stories and dreams.

Sunday 22 June

Due to high winds, we will not be displaying Helios at Downham. The free activities below will still run at Downham Leisure Centre 11am-5pm

11am - 12pm. Sunflower seed planting with Downham Matters. Make your own plant pot and sow a seed of hope.

From 12pm. Free Caribbean catering. Fresh, hot food served to the community while it lasts!

1pm - 5pm. Drop-in craft workshop led by Philo for all ages. Contribute to a collective sun collage made from recycled materials, stories and dreams.

1pm - 5pm. Drop-in clay workshop with Mud Gang. Join us for a hands-on, family-friendly celebration of sunshine and joy.

Our work in Lewisham

Octavia Hill, one of the three founders of the National Trust had a strong connection to Lewisham. She was instrumental in preventing the development at Hilly Fields, Lewisham, which led to the park becoming a public space in 1896. She was passionate about improving housing conditions, campaigned for easy access to the outdoors and fought to protect urban green spaces, so that people and nature can thrive. This vision, at the heart of our Urban Places work, is even more important and relevant today as we work with communities to increase access to nature, beauty and history.

In the Deptford area of Lewisham, we have been working as part of the Sayes Court Garden Network Project to increase access and biodiversity to green spaces within the estate. For the last eighteen months, the team, in collaboration with local partners and landscape architects, has been consulting with the local community and residents of the area on what they’d like to see in three green spaces. Through numerous community events, the project team has finalised concept designs which they hope to secure funding to deliver. For more information please see, Our work in London | National Trust

We continue to work closely with partners throughout Lewisham, including a long-term tree planting initiative which has planted over 300 blossom trees since 2020, with more planned.

Helios has been co-commissioned by National Trust, Cork Midsummer Festival, Liverpool Cathedral, Old Royal Naval College and University College London.​

* Please note: In the event of high winds, Helios will need to close, please check the Lewisham Council, We Are Lewisham or Downham Matters social media pages before travelling.