The original Morley’s chicken shop sign set to be exhibited at the London Museum.
This sign will be featured in the museum’s forthcoming Hanging Out exhibition, which highlights the gathering spots that bring together the various communities of London.
Founded in 1985 by Kannalingam “Indran” Selvendran, a Sri Lankan native who relocated to the UK in the 1970s, Morley’s began as a standalone store in Sydenham, Lewisham. Over time, it became a familiar sight in numerous high streets throughout the London.
Shan Selvendran, Indran’s son and Morley’s current chief executive, said having the business included as part of London’s history was the “most amazing thing that’s happened to this business… and to a community that built us”.
When asked by the BBC about what his late father would make of the museum display, Mr Selvendran staid: “I think he’d be stunned. You live for this kind of moment where everything you’ve worked for and effectively what he gave his life for is being celebrated in such a prestigious heritage driven place.
The sign was officially handed over to the London Museum by members of the Morley’s team, alongside south London musicians and entrepreneurs Krept and Konan.
Morley’s store served as a backdrops for both Stormzy’s 2017 song ‘Big For Your Boots’ and Krept’s 2019 single ‘Morley’s Freestyle’ as well as many other artists across the city.
Kannalingam Mahendran, Indran Selvendran’s brother, who ran the firm’s first shop Sydenham told BBC London he was “very proud” of the firm’s history and how it has expanded across the London and beyond.
Mr Mahendran added that “everyone knows Morley’s” and said he had become known by many people in the Sydenham area through working at the chicken shop over 40 years.
The Morley’s sign will be displayed from 2026 as part of Our Time, a social space at the heart of the London Museum’s new Smithfield site.
Dhikshana Turakhia Pering, head of creative programmes at the London Museum, called Morley’s an “icon of London’s high streets” and “part of the DNA and culture of London”.
She said acquiring the original sign had been high on the museum’s wish list since the inception of the Hanging Out display.
“[Morley’s] evokes memories of after school hangouts and late-night stories for generations of Londoners,” she added.
