A former black arts centre which was the London location of Bob Marley’s Is This Love? video starring a young Naomi Campbell has been destroyed by fire.
Eight fire engines and more than 40 firefighters tackled the blaze at the Christ Apostolic Church, which was the site of The Keskidee, Britain’s first black arts and cultural centre.
The London Fire Brigade said most of the building in Gifford Street, Islington, had been gutted by the fire which was brought under control at 1.40am, more than four hours after it started.
Investigators are still examining the cause. Marley filmed the video for Is This Love? in 1978 and it features the late reggae star walking alongside Campbell, who was seven. It also has Marley singing and dancing at a children’s party inside the centre, which closed in 1991.
In an interview Campbell recalled her first time meeting the reggae star saying: “I remember being really nervous, being brought to this room to meet Bob Marley and I was like ‘I don’t want to meet him, he’s got worms in his hair’.”
