House of Illustration announces ambitious £8 million plan to redevelop historic New River Head site

New Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration will be world’s largest public arts space dedicated to illustration

Proposed shop and café, terrace and gallery interior Tim Ronalds Architects

House of Illustration, the UK’s only gallery and education space dedicated to illustration and graphics, has announced an £8m project to redevelop New River Head in Islington, London into the world’s largest public arts space dedicated to illustration.

The renamed Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration will be a new cultural landmark for London and the UK that will establish illustration as an art form to be reckoned with. It will also become a permanent home for the archive of the organisation’s founder, Sir Quentin Blake, with selections from his archive of more than 40,000 works on permanent display.

Work is scheduled to begin in June 2021, with the organisation repurposing four 18th and 19th century industrial buildings and half an acre of surrounding land into exhibition galleries, an education centre, event spaces, plus retail and catering facilities. It is planned to open in autumn 2022. (South view of Engine House and Coal Store & Interior view of Coal Store below)

House of Illustration has already raised over £3 million of its £8 million target, and has recently secured £1 million in financing from the Architectural Heritage Fund through its Heritage Impact Fund to support its first development phase. The balance is set to be raised through individual donations, grants from trusts, foundations and a public fundraising campaign.

House of Illustration’s current site at 2 Granary Square, King’s Cross – which has been closed since March, due to the coronavirus outbreak - will not reopen, in order to focus resources on the development of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration.

However, House of Illustration will very much remain ‘open’ – its education programme will continue online and through outreach programmes with London school and community organisations while a series of touring exhibitions will travel to venues across the UK.

The historic site of New River Head has remained largely unchanged for nearly 400 years, when it became instrumental in the creation of London’s clean water supply during the 17th century. It includes the atmospheric remains of London’s only surviving windmill and a spectacular19th century engine house.

Following an international competition that attracted the attentions of some 200 practices, Tim Ronalds Architects have been appointed as the lead designers for the project.

Announcing the bold project, Sir Quentin Blake said: “I am enormously proud to have my name associated with this international home for an art which I know and love, and for artists who speak in a myriad of visual languages, but are understood by all. It is going to be amazing.”

Olivia Ahmad, Artistic Director of House of Illustration is equally excited by the potential of the scheme: “We are thrilled to be embarking on a project that will secure a permanent and much-needed public centre for illustration and graphics in the UK and a home for Sir Quentin’s archive. We look forward to expanding and developing our pioneering work that explores the importance of graphic art in our lives, supports emerging creators and empowers people of all ages to use visual communication. We are committed to working with our local communities and societies, Islington Borough Council, Thames Water and our sector to create a dynamic creative space that welcomes all.”

Tim Ronalds, Director of Tim Ronalds Architects: “When working with old buildings, we think most about the experience of buildings, the sense of time and memory they contain – the combination of new work and old buildings can be magical. We are thrilled to be working with House of Illustration. New River Head is an important historic site, and the Engine House a fascinating and atmospheric building. The ingredients are there to make a new cultural space of great significance.”

Rosemary Waugh, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Thames Water hailed the transformation of the site, saying: “The creation of a new permanent home for the House of Illustration is something we’re delighted with. We look forward to an ongoing relationship as they develop their new cultural hub including ways to celebrate the rich history of providing drinking water to London at New River Head - one we’re proud of and still tells our story 400 years on.”

Commenting on the investment, Matthew Mckeague, CEO of the AHF: “We are very pleased to finance the initial stages of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, through the Heritage Impact Fund. The AHF has long experience in financing the early stages of heritage asset projects and this is an exciting vision for this Grade II site. As well as providing a new home for the House of Illustration and the Quentin Blake archive, we were impressed by the ambition of the organisation in engaging a range of people, including the local community, in the project. We look forward to seeing the wide-ranging impact that will be delivered through the new spaces and activities.”

More details on the project will be announced in due course. In the meanwhile, you can discover more about House of Illustration at www.houseofillustration.org.uk and stay connected with all the latest news via Twitter @illustrationHQ and Instagram @illustrationHQ

NOTES TO EDITORS

House of Illustration is the UK’s centre for illustration and graphics. Since opening in King’s Cross in 2014, its pioneering exhibitions, education and events programmes have reached more than 1 million people. House of illustration has closed its doors in King’s Cross in order to develop the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, opening in Islington in autumn 2022. www.houseofillustration.org.uk

Sir Quentin Blake is the UK’s most celebrated illustrator. Born in 1932, he had his first cartoon published in Punch magazine aged just 16. Since then he has written and illustrated hundreds of books and collaborated with authors including Roald Dahl and Michael Rosen. Between 1965 and 1986, he taught at the Royal College of Art, and was head of the illustration department from 1975. In recent years, Blake has curated exhibitions and created large-scale works for public spaces including hospitals, theatres and libraries. In 1999, he was appointed the first ever Children’s Laureate, and was knighted for ‘services to illustration’ in 2013. He is the founder of House of Illustration. www.quentinblake.com

New River Head in Islington, London takes its name from the reservoir at the mouth of the New River, the channel cut in 1604–13 to supply London with water from springs in Hertfordshire – a civil engineering achievement vital to the development of the city. House of Illustration now owns an undeveloped part of the site which contains a group of historically significant industrial buildings, including two Grade II listed structures.

Tim Ronalds Architects was formed in 1982. Designing buildings for education, communities and arts organisations is the fundamental enthusiasm of the practice. Tim Ronalds Architects has won numerous awards, including 15 RIBA Awards, for its arts, school and historic buildings. The practice has been responsible for some of London’s best loved arts and cultural venues: Hackney Empire Theatre, Ironmonger Row Baths and Wilton’s Music Hall, which won RIBA London Building of the Year in 2016. www.timronalds.co.uk

The Architectural Heritage Fund is a registered charity, that has worked since 1976 to promote the the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings for the benefit of communities across the UK, particularly in economically disadvantaged areas. They provide advice, grants, and loans for projects undertaken by charities and not-for-profit organisations. www.ahfund.org.uk

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