Alice Billings House

Alice Billings House in central Stratford, East London was built in 1905-6 to provide accommodation for firemen of the West Ham Fire Brigade. The fire station was closed in 1964 and the buildings have been vacant for decades. The listed North Block, featuring a practice and hose drying tower, was added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register in 2019.

The site is now being transformed into studio space for around 80 artists and makers in a project led by the Creative Land Trust. The Trust was established to tackle the rapid loss of affordable studio space in London, with a mission to secure long-term space for artists and creatives, ensuring a vibrant and prosperous future for this critical industry. Alice Billings House is the second property to be added to their portfolio, and the first involving a historic building. Alongside the 6,500 square feet of lettable studio space, the conversion will create an exhibition area, community café and landscaped public courtyard.

In 2021, a Project Viability Grant from the AHF enabled the Trust to test the feasibility of its proposals. This then helped them to secure a long lease and supported the project’s inclusion in one of Newham’s two successful Levelling up Fund bids, securing £700,000 towards the refurbishment. The AHF has since awarded a Project Development Grant towards development costs and a Transformational Project Grant to repair the listed North Block, remove it from the Heritage at Risk Register and bring it into active use.  

https://creativelandtrust.org/

AHF Funding

Project Viability Grant - £15,000 (2021)

Project Development Grant - £100,000 (2021)

Transformational Project Grant - £116,880 (2022)

Image Credits

Artists impression: Purcell
Sylvie Belbouab