Everyone has a story. The gallery that brought the first bit of destination culture to Kings Cross, the House of Illustration – which was on Granary Square for six years – now has plans to restore and open up the derelict New River Head industrial site in Clerkenwell as the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. Here Director Lindsey Glen explains the plans while giving interviewer Nicola Baird a special look around
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Director Lindsey Glen by the impressive iron entrance gates on Amwell Street. The centre is on its final fundraising push and hoping to open by 2024. © Islington Faces
Director Lindsey Glen says that when the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration opens, it will be the largest space for illustration in the world. It will: “encompass galleries, learning spaces, public gardens, a café and shop, and provide a permanent home for Quentin’s archive.” There’s a virtual tour here.
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Clerkenwell’s industrial heritage will soon be repurposed as the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. Here you can see the old Coal Stores and the North Stores. © Islington Faces
Quentin Blake, born in 1932, will be 90 this coming December. He’s an author and illustrator – perhaps best known for illustrating the Roald Dahl books including Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the BFG. Islington Faces’ favourite of Quentin’s work is definitely The Green Ship, a bitter-sweet story about play, growing up and hedges. Mrs Armitage on Wheels was another big hit in the Islington Faces household with never-to-be-forgotten eccentric characters, colourful birds and starring a bike. From 1999-2001 he was the very first British Children’s Laureate. His own website states that he’s written or illustrated more than 500 books. But despite this amazing collection and national popularity there was nowhere to make his work permanently available.
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration has big plans for the old Engine House and Coal Stores at New River Head. The taller brick building has been used for all sorts of purposes including storing steam engines. For its 21st century reincarnation the upper floor will be a permanent home for Quentin Blake’s fabulous illustrations. © Islington Faces
That’s why the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration is such big news. Even better, after much behind the scenes work, it is going to be here in Islington. As Lindsey and team have been doggedly scoping, fundraising and finding the right architect, the dream of a permanent home for great illustration moved even closer when it recently received planning approval. Now it is due to open in 2024 – so long as the next chunk of funding of the £12 million campaign target, is raised (see how to support at this website and also at the end of this interview). More here.
Islington Society members enjoy a close up look at the heritage buildings that will soon be the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. The new café and classroom space will be on the left and the Coal Store on the right will become a space for temporary exhibitions. (c) Islington Faces
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Places Lindsey Glen loves in Islington
“Having spent half my life living on the Islington border, I’m especially excited at the opportunities that the project offers for Islington schoolchildren and other residents to explore illustration and their local heritage. We just ran a project with The Peel Institute to support older Clerkenwell residents to illustrate and map their memories.”
- Wandering along Camden Passage
- I go to Christchurch Highbury, 155 Highbury Grove and love Vent Coffee and the newly opened community centre at the top of Highbury Fields, outside the church.
- I love Olden Community Gardens off Whistler Street and held my 40th birthday party there.
- I lived opposite Gillespie Park for many years and still love to visit. I really appreciate green spaces because I’ve always lived in flats.
- I love a cup of tea and a bagel at Café Kick at 43 Exmouth Market
- The team is always popping in and out of Myddeltons Deli, 25a Lloyd Baker Street and Ground Control, 61 Amwell Street. They’ve been our alternative office and meeting space for the last couple of years. They’re very nice people and it’s a nice area. It’s a good space to bump into people and get chatting.
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Sign at the New River Head viewing platform. More than half of Islington Faces interviewees say that the New River through Canonbury is one of their most favourite places in the borough. For a map of the 28 mile (45km) walk see this download https://shelford.org/walks/newriver.pdf © Islington Faces
Meeting point
Islington Faces meets Lindsey at the New River Head, in Clerkenwell. Behind the big black gates is a collection of heritage buildings full of industrial stories. Stepping over the old cobbles, Lindsey points out the end of the New River path which overlooks the New River Head buildings. We’re less than 5 minutes walk from frenetic Angel tube, but with such a different atmosphere. Here you can soak up Clerkenwell and London history thanks to info panels and the buildings still standing.
The site of the New River Head is just behind Sadler’s Wells which now includes Nautilus House which in May boasts its beautiful wisteria-blossoms and a rose garden. There’s also the grand water board offices with an impressive oak panelled meeting room (now mostly apartments). The New River path is perhaps better known now as a 45km (28 mile) long-distance walk from Amwell, Ware in Hertfordshire following a hand-dug aqueduct which was completed in 1613 to bring Londoners fresh drinking water. You can still enjoy parts of this route in Islington running from Clissold Park, through Canonbury, parallel to Essex Road and then along the back of Camden Passage.
Islington may be the London borough with the least green space per person but thanks to the New River, many residents, office workers and other visitors are close to linear gardens beside water. And that’s great for biodiversity and wellbeing.
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Director Lindsey Glen at the base of the 1709 windmill that provided the first means of pumping water to Claremont Square. This will be repurposed by the House of Illustration team for activities with illustrators and community groups, such as a recent project with The Peel Institute. © Islington Faces
Sneak peak
Once upon a time there was a windmill here on the side of Amwell Street with six sails. When they broke in a fierce storm in the 17th century, the windmill became a horse gin, operated by four horses plodding nose-to-tail in a very tight circle, with a second building added to house a pump.
In fact, there are so many buildings on this site that Islington Faces starts to get a bit confused. There’s a viewing platform; the Grade 2 listed windmill base; North Stores where steam engines were kept and the old Coal Stores. There are cobbles, and old rail tracks. In the Engine House Lindsey guides me up a fabulous metal staircase, tells me to duck my head when going through doors and points out machinery, fonts, unexpected ceiling levels, girders and skylights. It’s just like being lost in a Dr Who episode. Apparently, I’m not the only one to have felt this way.
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Director Lindsey Glen in the old Coal Stores which will become a space for temporary exhibitions. © Islington Faces
Drawn to drawings
This massive space will all be dedicated to illustration. “We don’t have a permanent collection so often people come to us through the subject matter, which might show a social or political context,” explains Lindsey.
When the new centre opens, there will be two temporary exhibition spaces in the old Coal Stores and Engine House with the top floor of the Engine House earmarked for Quentin Blake’s work to go on permanent show. The project team is being led by Clerkenwell-based architect Tim Ronalds, who brought Wilton’s Music Hall, Ironmonger Row Baths and Hackney Empire back from the brink.
Through the railings: Nautilus House garden on the site of the Round Pond at New River Head in its absolute wisteria spring best, seen from the new garden and pond site of Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. As this bit of Islington is particularly short of green space, a new chunk of public garden with a pond will be a massive asset – and it will be free to visit when the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration opens. © Islington Faces
Who will visit?
Lindsey’s clear that everyone will want to visit the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration when it opens. “It’s for people who love illustration; or who love Quentin; or who are fascinated by the New River’s heritage; or who want to explore the visual imagery that fills all our everyday lives,” adding that it’s around this bit of north London where Dickens’ illustrator, George Cruikshank (1792-1878) made at least 10,000 illustrations .
“There are so many different ways to make it happen including: spreading the word; helping fundraise; sharing your thoughts about the space and getting involved in the garden,” adds Lindsey with real pride. It’s clear that she’s found a job that’s very much also a passion project. So, if you’ve ever done a doodle or are a little more illustratively skilled; or are just fascinated by this massive new cultural addition to Islington then do go and have a click on the links or pop over to the viewing platforms. There are 200,000 of us living in Islington (and plenty of office workers too), so here’s a chance to get involved right at the start of something fabulous.
Good luck to the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration teams as they switch from the imaginative dreaming to the big build. And see you there soon.
Find out more
- The dream, plans, a YouTube video from Quentin Blake and opportunities to donate are at this website: https://www.houseofillustration.org.uk/about/about-the-quentin-blake-centre-for-illustration-356
- Also you can donate online
- Text 10QBCentre to 70085 to donate £10
- Text 20QBCentre to 70085 to donate £20
- Find out about different ways of supporting the project or email Harry Hickmore, Head of Fundraising and Campaigns, if you’d like to hear more.
- Follow the House of Illustration’s email newsletter or follow progress on Twitter and Instagram @illustrationHQ
- You can view the site for free from the Viewing Platform off Myddleton Passage, EC1R 1XW or from Amwell Street, EC1R 1XU – just opposite the giant fig tree.
Over to you
Also if you’d like to nominate someone to be interviewed who grew up, lives or works in Islington, or suggest yourself, please let me know, via islingtonfaces@gmail.com If you enjoyed this post you might like to look at the A-Z index, or search by interviewee’s roles or Meet Islingtonians to find friends, neighbours and inspiration. Thanks for stopping by. Nicola
