LONDON

Located in South Kensington, the heart of London’s museum district, this collection of five Grade II listed Victorian terraced townhouses were designed in 1858 by Sir Charles James Freake. Boasting an impressive heritage, the painter Sir John Lavery lived at one of the properties between 1899-1940.

Works commenced in 2017 for the refurbishment, conversion and extension of the existing space to create an arts hub which offers members the use of 14 exhibition spaces, offices and viewing rooms, together with on-site art storage, club rooms and a club house restaurant.

Cromwell Place opened to the public on 10^th October 2020.  For further information, see https://cromwellplace.com/

Project Type

Leisure

Images Copyright: Dan Weil and Taran Wilku

17 months into the project, Hawes Price was instructed to act on behalf of the tenant to ensure that their element of the works, incorporated as part of the main building contract, were carried out satisfactorily.

The scale of this exciting and dynamic project required our site presence weekly and involved dealing with specialist areas such as underground secure art storage, art galleries, flexible office hubs, a membership bar and lounge area.

The unique and unusual nature of the site and the project itself meant that consideration had to be given to preserve the fabric of the Victorian buildings whilst both understanding and anticipating the needs of the art space’s members. A glass link bridge was created along the back of the site to connect all five buildings together, with openings allowing patrons to move from one space to another. Hanging walls were developed in order to place art without intruding upon the original fabric of the building. A new pavilion gallery space with a saw-tooth shaped roof, vaulted ceilings and a specially designed lighting solution was created to provide an elite display area in a style which married with the other sensitively restored spaces.

We have gained a unique knowledge and understanding of the systems required to successfully deliver such a one-of-a-kind project, making sure the building was delivered to the standard and specific requirements of the tenant.