PATCH Collective’s curated Open House Festival collection.

For the Open House Festival this year we have invited six different individuals and collectives to curate strands of the festival programme. These collections and event are their chance to share with others the buildings, places and themes they see as worthy of celebration and exploration.

Nyima Murry & Betty Owoo are founding members of PATCH Collective - a multidisciplinary group of POC spatial practitioners. Their work centres around creating spatial interventions, designing ephemeral events and curating intimate discussions, all through the lens of being of a diaspora.

“Holding Space” spotlights the many different ways communities are carving out space through place and food.

Shifting the focus from London’s geographic centre, “Holding Space” explores the polycentric nature of London to celebrate the diverse network of communities that gives the city its quality. For our collection, we’ve been exploring buildings that uplift and serve communities on London’s periphery and edges, and pairing our suggested itinerary with a dish from a neighbourhood diasporic eatery.

A House for Artists

Affordable housing and live/work space for creatives in London is increasingly rare, with cycles of gentrification pushing them slowly out of the centre. A House for Artists in the east London borough of Barking & Dagenham tackles this problem head on, providing generous spaces for living and working in a compact, five storey deck access block with a community space on its ground floor. Designed by Apparata Studio in collaboration with Create London and the GLA for client Be First, the project is the first of its kind in the borough, providing subsidised rents for fourteen local artists and their families in return for them contributing to a community-led arts programme. Its striking geometric recycled concrete forms make it a welcome addition to Barking town centre - now just not just a place for linking tings (as popularised in Ramz' viral song about the area).

Pair with…Suya Hut

A black double-decker bus emblazoned with orange flames greets you as you approach the buzzing Barking Market, with an adjoining tent housing delicious barbecued meats grilled to perfection. Home to the Barking institution that is Suya Hut, the spot takes its name from the smoky, spicy Nigerian specialty of suya - traditionally thinly sliced beef charred on a barbeque. It's my favourite place for lunch in the town centre, and I can never resist a chicken suya wrap when I'm in the area. If you're looking for something vegetarian/vegan friendly, a portion of smoky jollof and fried plantain always goes down a treat. BO

2. The Lea Bridge Library Pavilion

A slim timber extension that stretches back from the existing Edwardian building of the main library, the timber pavilion created by Studio Weave undoubtedly is a pleasantly unexpected addition to this tired public library that sits on a busy stretch of A-road in Leyton. Elegantly sidestepping any gimmicky bold graphics or ‘fun’ beanbags that you might expect from a revamp of a public library, the Lea Bridge Library Pavillion demonstrates a commitment to sustainability in both its materiality and programming of space. With a new cafe, reading and co-working spaces, as well as a multi-purpose community room that can be divided away from the central communal area, the relatively modest-sized space delivers the facilities required of a modern-day public library. Constructed out of sustainable locally sourced timber, the warmth of the interior is complemented by the floor-to-ceiling windows that stretch down one side of the building, allowing views into the Friends Garden that recently hosted the People’s Pavilion.

Pair with…

As a resident of Waltham Forest, I would argue the borough has some of the city’s best food spots on offer. If you’re heading over on a Sunday, the Walthamstow Market (alleged by residents to be the longest market in Europe) hosts dozens of food trucks cooking up street food from the Caribbean, West Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Med. It would be amiss to not mention my favourite snack spot in the borough. Away from the throngs of people at Walthamstow market, the Sri-Lankan Tamil grocers ‘Best Foods Supermarket’ on Forest Road houses an exceptionally well stocked, and affordable cafeteria deli bar. Make your way through the sacks of rice, fistfuls of coriander and kilogram bags of to the far back left corner of the store to find a selection of curries and fried savoury treats. A staple breakfast this year has been their Dosa and Sambar at £3 for a portion of three. NM

3. Dalston Curve Garden

A staple favourite of the Open House Festival, Dalston Curve Garden continues to offer a green oasis in the heart of busy Dalston that, through recent years of development, has rapidly densified. Originally built in 2010 on the old Eastern Curve railway line through a partnership between Hackney Council, local residents, muf architect/art and J&L Gibbons Landscape Architects, the Curve garden continues to be one of our favourite community run greenspaces in the city. Childrens parties, community groups, groups of teenagers, and local families can all be found enjoying the quiet of this space, that winds down to a bold stage design by Morag Myerscough.

Pair with…Mama Vics

Food from outside is welcome to be brought into the garden, with Dalston High Road offering an immense selection of mouth watering eateries. Around the corner just off Dalston’s iconic Gillett Square, Mama Vics on Bradbury Street offers some of the best jerk chicken and curried goat around. Years ago, this small road hosted a plethora of Afro-Caribbean eateries that competed for the best grilled jerk and sweetly fried plantain. Now, competing with an Honest Burger (bleurgh), Mama Vic continues to serve up generous portions of traditional Nigerian favourites to be either eaten in, or as i like to do, boxed up to be consumed amongst the trees of the Curve Garden. Inside the timber pavilion structures designed by muf art/architecture,the curried goat with fufu or rice and peas can be washed down with a cool beer from the Curve Garden’s bar whose profits helps fund the garden - making this the perfect mid week after work Open House spot. NM

4. Turf

How can we repurpose our overlooked and unloved shopping centres, many of which form vital chunks of the urban fabric of London's high streets? The team at TURF Projects in Croydon have an idea. Nestled at the back of two of the town centre's shopping centres - the 60s Whitgift Centre and the somewhat superfluous 00s Centrale - TURF have created a haven for local artists, a playground of studios and workshop spaces across several floors of the centres. Founded in 2013, TURF is the first entirely artist-run contemporary art space in the borough and puts on free exhibitions and workshops for everyone to enjoy, as well as providing much needed affordable studios and space for disabled artists.

Pair with…Paratha Inn

Who can resist a flaky paratha? These soft and buttery unleavened layered flatbreads are my kryptonite, so Paratha Inn's opening on Croydon High Street filled me with glee (and ghee). This eatery exists to showcase the versatility and deliciousness of parathas, with breakfast sets, rolls and stuffed flatbreads galore. My selection always includes a malai boti roll filled with creamy spiced chicken, paired with a crisp samosa. If I'm feeling particularly greedy, their aloo paratha stuffed with potatoes completes my trifecta of treats. BO

5. Bermondsey Blue, Takeshi Hyatsu

In Bermondsey’s former town centre and market square, Architects Takeshi Hyatsu and Assemble have injected a new lease of life into the Blue Market. A series of new access routes and signage by graphic design studio Stinsensqueeze help reconnect this historic street market with the local area, and the pair of new timber market pavilions have created a more permanent home for local traders. At the heart of the square, a timber clock tower clad in tin from a local factory shines as the scheme’s centrepiece, created through a series of community engraving workshops. Look out for Assemble’s synonymous recycled concrete terrazzo that can be spotted in the new water fountain, benches and planting beds that have helped soften this public landscape.

Pair with…The Market

A number of street food vendors can be found on market day, alongside local eateries operating out of the old high street arcade. ZIonly Manna Rastarant, (who moved here from Rye Lane’s indoor market ) is a vegan Afro-Carribean restaurant and deli who serve up generous portions of healthy, hearty veggie curries and stews. Not *technically* an eatery given you’d have to cook it yourself, but a visit to Russell (the square’s fishmonger) is worthwhile for a chat as much as some fresh fish. One of the driving forces behind securing funding for the Blue Market’s regeneration, he is a font of knowledge for the project and area’s local history. NM

6. The Moorings Social Club

Imprinted in popular culture through film and television, the Thamesmead Estate is probably best known for its brutalist concrete towers rising over Southmere Lake. The refurbished Moorings Sociable Club shows a softer side to Thamesmead. Originally designed in the 70s by local architect Stephen Mooring for the GLC, over the years the Aalto-esque building had fallen into disrepair. With support from Peabody and the GLA's Good Growth Fund, the centre has been lovingly restored by Project Orange into a new community and enterprise hub for the local area. When visiting make sure to look out for an array of colourful and quirky details added to the building under the curatorial eye of artist-in-residence Verity-Jane Keefe.

Pair with…Camouflage Café by Brighter Futures

Upstairs at the Mooring Sociable Club is a café with a difference. Founded by Kemi and Chris Madumere, Camouflage Café is a initiative from the Brighter Futures Foundation, a charity that aims to support adults with learning disabilities in becoming more independent in their communities. Uniquely, Camouflage Café is run by adults with learning disabilities, giving them work experience and transferable skills that they can use to secure permanent roles. Stop by in the morning for a hearty full English breakfast and an inclusive atmosphere. BO

7. Host of Leyton

Host of Leyton's inviting Victorian shopfront and urban room quietly serves as a model for the future of London's high streets. Founded by local couple Nicola Read and James Pallister in 2016, the lovingly restored space is essentially a room for hire that people can use for work, retail or play. The flexible room has an exciting public programme hosting a range of different events, and has become a generous "third" space in the Leyton's ecosystem of independent businesses.

Host demonstrates the enduring resilience of London's high streets and how they can continue to evolve with us over time - in other lives the space has been home to both a piano shop and a car spares depot. During Open House Festival this year it will transform into a gallery, displaying colourful abstract paintings from landscape artist Dan Lee.

Pair with…Mauritian Delights

Over at PATCH Collective we love to connect over food. The unreal yam bites served up by Leyton eatery Mauritian Delights were one of the first dishes we shared together. Formed of shredded, spiced yam flavoured with ginger and then shaped into balls and deep fried, this dish is a favourite that we always come back to when in Leyton. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, try a bottle of cold La Mooss - a delicacy of grass jelly cubes in a sweetened liquid. BO

8. Walworth Garden

London's network of community gardens is one of my favourite things about the city, and Walworth Garden is one of the very best. First founded in 1987 when a group of local activists repurposed a piece of derelict land in Southwark, the garden has gone from strength to strength since.

Today, the award-winning space is also home to a horticultural training and therapy centre, with a main building designed by the feminist architecture practice Matrix. The garden is open to all seven days a week, with verdant greenhouses and planted beds to enjoy.

Pair with…Beza

A short stroll from Walworth Garden is Sayer Street, part of Lendlease's somewhat controversial regeneration of the Heygate Estate. Half built, with a temporary strip of pop up retail designed by Jan Kattein Architects on one side of the road, the other side of Sayer Street is home to a terrace of cafes and restaurants - including the beloved Beza. Founded by and named for Beza Berhanu in 2019, the restaurant serves up delicious vegan Ethiopian dishes, including traditional misir wot - a dish of delicious spiced red lentils. I'd personally go for one of everything served up on a plate of spongy injera bread for maximum satisfaction. BO

9. Our Yard at Clitterhouse Farm

Our Yard at Clitterhouse Farm is a fantastic example of the power of campaigning to transform disused places in London. The farm and its outbuildings can be traced back as early as the 1300s, and has a varied history, with its land being used for an aerodrome and a football club over the years, before the site fell into disrepair after WWII.

In 2013, four local residents banded together to protect the farm's historic buildings from demolition, and in 2015 the Our Yard charitable company was born. Today, the site is home to a community garden with a beautiful cedar glasshouse, a crowdfunded community café, and a multi use studio space, as well as two other studios leased to local micro businesses. Make sure to visit their night market they are putting on as part of this year's festival.

Pair with…Our Café and Sean’s Loaf

Our Yard at Clitterhouse Farm is a little off the beaten track - but luckily there are some great food options on site. Funded by a Crowdfund campaign and additional funding from the Mayor of London, Our Cafe serves up freshly made treats from surplus donated food. If you're in the mood for freshly baked bread, baker Sean's Loaf has its kitchens on site, where you can pick up sourdough loaves and flaky pastries. They also hold monthly three course dinners with vibrant seasonal ingredients. BO

10. Nag’s Head Market

With its redevelopment by Office S&M having only recently been completed, a trip to the Nag’s Head Market on Seven Sisters Road is undoubtedly a must do this Open House Festival. The redevelopment has been undertaken with the bold graphic flair and sensitive community consultation that Office S&M are known for - injecting a new spark into this much beloved indoor street market that has operated in Holloway since 1975. The major new addition to the space can be found upstairs - a shiny new mezzanine that offers increased space for traders, and an open-plan dining hall for visitors to enjoy. Through the rebranding and strategic improvements to the facade and ground floor market space, the scheme manages to respectfully retain the original character of this market and its community. This project clearly ticks our boxes offering 1) great community architectural work and 2) a selection of stand-out eateries at the same time.

Pair with…The Market

During my last visit, my intention was to try out a number of the food stalls for this write-up. Truth be told, I didn’t make it further than the Colombian joint ‘Juanchos Restaurant’ where I over-ambitiously ordered the meal of the day, and a selection of empanadas for “research purposes.” Needless to say, I will be back during the festival, better prepared with an emptier stomach. NM

11. Tin Tabernacle

One of the most unique buildings in the Open House Festival collection, the Tin Tabernacle in Kilburn has a fascinating history and is Grade II listed. Originally designed as a church in 1853, the building is constructed out of corrugated iron that was originally galvanised with tin for durability. After doing a stint as an early cinema and then ARP centre in WWII, its most dramatic transformation came after the war in the 1950s when it was taken over by the Sea Cadets who decided to turn it into a replica battleship internally. This building is a joy to visit. It has the rare ability to make you do a double take from the street upon seeing this rare Victorian corrugated steel church facade, and then once again when inside you find yourself in a replica ton-class minesweeper vessel, complete with its own ship’s chapel.

Pair with…Ariana II

Ten minutes walk away from the Tin Tabernacle, Arianna II on Kilburn High Road is a BYO dining room serving up generous portions of Afghani food. The original Ariana opened in Manhattan in New York nearly thirty years ago, but Arianna II is firmly a Kilburn establishment. Kebabs, curries, and dumplings plus a selection of sweet treats make this a menu worth exploring. A perfect spot for a large group at the end of a long day of exploring the neighbourhood. BO