Heritage funding enables restoration of former firefighters’ quarters in Stratford to create affordable artist studios and remove building from at-risk register.
Creative Land Trust has secured £3.8m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and other funders to restore Alice Billing House, a Grade II listed former firefighters’ quarters in the London Borough of Newham.
The building, which incorporates a rare firehose drying tower, is named after the first female sanitation officer in the borough.
The project, undertaken in partnership with Newham Council, will transform the heritage-at-risk building into studios for artists and creatives.
Additional multi-year funding has been provided by the Garfield Weston Foundation, Architectural Heritage Fund, London Legacy Development Corporation and London Borough of Newham, with ongoing advice from Historic England.
Located in Stratford, East London, Alice Billing House follows the successful completion of the South Building one year ago, which now provides permanent workspace for 25 artists. The new funding will restore the North Building and improve the South Building, ensuring the Grade II listed property is safely restored and removed from the Heritage at Risk register.
Upon completion in early 2027, Alice Billing House will provide affordable studios for up to 42 creatives, alongside public spaces including a pavilion and garden. The project will also fund an ongoing outreach programme run by Grow Studios focusing on arts and local heritage.
Annie Clements, CEO of Creative Land Trust, said: “The generous funding secured will ensure that the building becomes a vibrant community asset making the arts more accessible by promoting heritage, cultural diversity and wellbeing. Securing affordable workspace for artists and creatives in London is our focus and we are actively looking to partner with local authorities and property owners to expand our portfolio and replicate this flagship project in other underused heritage buildings across London and beyond.”
The Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz, said: “The Creative Land Trust has been doing fantastic work across London opening up new affordable spaces for artists across the capital. So, we are excited to be working with them on Stratford’s Alice Billing House. Artist studios not only act as incubators for ideas, they bring a different vibrancy to an area. Artists can transform an area, breathing new life into communities and bringing new opportunities and businesses. We’ve seen how successful the first phase of Alice Billing House – it can only get better with the second, giving many local artists an affordable place to work.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to support this fantastic project thanks to National Lottery players. Not only will this project restore a historic building that is at risk, but it will offer Newham’s community a space to gather and artists a place to thrive. Projects like this are so important as they breathe new life into the communities we live in and the heritage that surrounds us every day.”
Riona McMorrow, Head of Grants at The Architectural Heritage Fund, said: “It brings us great pleasure to have awarded further funding towards the transformation of Alice Billing House. Having previously supported work to restore the South Block, now a thriving asset for Stratford and London’s creative community, we are delighted to be providing this new Heritage Revival Fund grant towards design work for the refurbishment of the North Block. We look forward to seeing this heritage-at-risk asset brought back into sustainable use, providing additional affordable studios and helping more local artists to thrive creatively and economically.”
Aisha Mirza, Alice Billing House Studio Holder, said: “Finding genuinely affordable and accessible studio space in this city has become nearly impossible. I was looking for two years before I came across Alice Billing House and very luckily, I was accepted. Having this consistent space for dreaming, making and planning has brought a sense of security and possibility to my life and the life of my wider community which is completely priceless.”
Jordanna Greaves, Head of Cultural Engagement at Grow Studios, said: “This past year, bringing a new chapter into Alice Billing House has been both exciting and rewarding for the Grow Studios team. With the South Block now full of artists and a growing public engagement programme, there’s a renewed sense of energy and purpose in this incredible heritage site. Bringing artists together is at the heart of what we do at Grow, and we’re looking forward to building on this momentum as the North Block is brought back into action, and we continue to help shape the building’s future for all those who use it.”
Elizabeth Smith, Partner and Chair at Purcell, said: “The restoration of Alice Billings House marks an important step in the physical, social, cultural, and environmental renewal of this historic Stratford site. We are pleased that funding has been secured to complete the restoration of the building’s North Block, helping to preserve its remarkable heritage. We look forward to continuing our work with Creative Land Trust to realise our joint vision of returning the building to public use and supporting creativity in Stratford through the provision of affordable studios, opening up new opportunities for artists, and contributing to the site’s long-term regeneration.”
