Making and Manufacturing in the City curated by Riya Patel
Riya Patel is a London-based writer and curator specialised in architecture and design. She was formerly the senior editor at Icon magazine, and as a freelancer her words have appeared in FRAME, Crafts, Design Anthology, Wallpaper* and Disegno. Until 2019 she was curator at The Aram Gallery, an independent platform for new and experimental design.
My selection is all about spaces of making and manufacturing in this incredible city. Through my time writing about architecture, design and most recently craft, these often-hidden spaces have been revealing themselves to me – pockets of activity that thrive on industrial estates, down alleyways, in railway arches. Carmel King and Mark Brearley’s book Made in London (2022) is a good primer for this extraordinary ‘other life’ of the capital that tourists, shoppers and even architecture-lovers don’t see. It’s easy to get romantic about this topic, but the reality is many places are struggling to survive in an expensive city and against a prevailing culture of buying imported products. I hope my list inspires more people to find out what’s made on their doorstep.
Where are your jeans from? Few can say they were handmade in London, like those crafted by denim master Han and his team at Blackhorse Lane Ateliers. This is garment making par excellence with each pair made to fit perfectly and last a lifetime thanks to its in-house repair service. Check out what each person in this team of incredible artisans do, as their renovated 1920s factory building flings open its doors for Open House.
2. Bloqs
Finding space to make is a notorious struggle in this city, so when supersized makerspace Bloqs opened in 2022, it was a truly welcome development. The former vehicle testing facility in Enfield was converted by architect 5th Studio into an open-access factory with shared facilities for woodwork, metalwork, digital fabrication, and naturally, the space to create big builds. It’s been the catalyst for many makers to get their ideas off the kitchen table and into reality, and has a wonderful community spirit too.
3. Brick Sixty
The humble London brick is the sole inspiration for this design and manufacturing studio – there are candleholders, soaps and chocolates all made in its iconic form. Of course, its range of products are made in London, and a reflection of the historic making capabilities this great city still holds. Its limited-edition iron brick from 2020 was made by James Hoyle & Son, a family-run foundry in east London established 1880, and now in its fifth generation.
4. Cockpit Arts Deptford
A revamp by architect Cooke Fawcett sees the southeast London post of social enterprise Cockpit Arts (a 1960s former council office) kitted out with new facilities for leather and woodwork and the capacity for 60-plus makers. There’s now a garden designed by Sebastian Cox, planted thoughtfully with species used in various crafts, and even those that can help remedy a cut finger. A moving artwork by Cockpit resident Amber Khokhar references Lewisham history, including details that speak to the New Cross house fire of 1981.
5. London Centre for Book Arts
There are precious few places you can still learn the art of making books, and one of those is thanks to the efforts of Simon Goode and Ira Yonemura. They spent years gathering the equipment and machinery necessary to print, bind and publish books before starting this open-access studio in 2012. Novices can get acquainted with a range of techniques from letterpress to Japanese stab-binding on one of its amazing workshops.
6. London Glassblowing
The extraordinary heat from the furnaces at the back of this small, white-walled gallery lets you know it’s a working hot glass studio. You can find skilful glassblowers morphing blobs of molten glass there most afternoons and see the resulting colourful candy-like wares during the shop’s opening hours. Founded by Peter Layton in 1976, it has a longstanding history and reputation in glass, but it often goes unnoticed by visitors who come to busy Bermondsey High Street for the bars and restaurants.
7. The Remakery
Housed in a disused underground car park, this co-operative workshop in Brixton was founded in 2014 on a mission to reduce waste. If you fear the sewing machine, it’s a great place to gain skills in turning old threads into new fashion. Its past sessions have included guitar repair, origami and hand lettering, along with artist talks for inspiration. Last year a Material Garden was planted, with species planned to be a source for dyes, paper, weaving and inks.
8. Sarabande Foundation
Sarabande Foundation is the legacy of fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen, offering scholarships and studio space to nurture future talents. In a first for Open House, this creative powerhouse is open to the public – a rare chance to step into the creative spaces of the 20 artists currently in residence at its High Road site. Sarabande has so far supported more than 220 artists including jeweller Castro Smith and textile artist Kuniko Maeda.
9. thinkFound
Inspired by designer, social activist and local Walthamstow resident William Morris, thinkFOUND is a community-minded maker of custom tables, seating and storage made from reclaimed wood. It’s also a provider of work experience and training for young people, creating employment pathways to construction and other industries. Learn more about its social mission and see the workshop in action over Open House weekend.
10. Turning Earth Highgate
The popularity of pottery classes shows no sign of waning – the therapeutic aspect of getting your hands into a clay is enough of a draw even if you don’t feel like a natural creative. Woodside Works, Turning Earth’s plant-filled Highgate studio, is another excellent reason to give it a go. Light pours in from the saw-toothed roof of this industrial building, and there’s a zen-like courtyard garden to wait in while your ceramic creation goes in the kiln.
