We teamed up with the world’s largest architecture festival, Open House, to uncover the heritage and culture at the heart of this unique, yet little-known area in west London. The weekend event, ‘Lifting the Lid on Old Oak and Park Royal’, gave members of the public access to eleven open buildings in the area, as well as walking tours, workshops and exhibitions.
Open House is a citywide celebration of London’s buildings, places and spaces. An event that fits well with our three-year Great Place Scheme programme that encourages people from the area to celebrate the history and take an active role in shaping their future spaces.
The aim of the weekend was to create interesting and accessible activities themed around buildings, history, industry, business and art that will enable conversations about the heritage of the area to continue beyond the weekend.
To Lift the Lid on Old Oak and Park Royal we partnered with four Hubs:
- Ace Cafe, established in 1938 on the then brand new North Circular Road, a motoring themed cafe
- The Collective, an innovative business and living space showcasing contemporary design
- Acton Business Centre a vibrant multi-led venue in the heart of a thriving industrial estate
- Old Oak Community and Children’s Centre, a busy and active space for people from the community of all ages
Other open buildings included the ACAVA Art Studios and a local eco-home.
A rundown of what happened at each location
Ace Cafe
Ace Cafe provided a special and different base because the venue typically attracts car and bike enthusiasts to the area from all over the country as well as local people.
The 50s dress-up photo booth was a hit with all ages and acted as an icebreaker, connecting people who perhaps wouldn’t necessarily normally cross paths to have a laugh as they posed for photos and got stuck in. The print and patch making activities drew out people’s inner creative sides, as those who began thinking that drawing wasn’t their thing were still at it hours later.
The Collective
The Collective was the starting point for all the walking tours that investigated the past, present and future of the area. Braving the weather, visitors arrived early to guarantee their places on walks led by experts, including a number of locals.
Most popular was the ‘Carpets and Torpedoes’ tour which explored the histories of antique carpets that have travelled from across Asia, followed by the former soap turned torpedo factory. Attendees on the ‘Future of Old Oak tour’ told us they were fascinated by the vision for the area and were supportive of using local character and heritage to shape this future part of London.
The artists in residence, the People’s Bureau, were promoting their exhibition which captured their experience living in at The Collective. They recreated their bedroom and shared photos and notes from their many conversations with residents.
Meanwhile an artist’s outline of the 650-ha area that makes up OPDC’s boundary was built on by visitors over the weekend who not only added well-known buildings such as the McVities factory but other areas of importance to them like the BMX club and canoeing spots.
Acton Business Centre
Architects were on hand at Acton Business Centre who led drop-in sessions to discuss any visitors home projects. Alongside an interactive exhibition on what it’s like to work in London both past and present.
Old Oak Community and Children’s Centre
The community centre was the hub for family activities including yoga, arts, crafts and play.
Local families and those that had travelled from further afield reported their delight at having so many activities for children under one roof. After talking to an OPDC staff member, a young boy excitedly called his Mum over to find out more.
The star of the show was Animal Architects and their reptiles which had the little ones entranced with some being brave enough to hold a snake.
Canoeing with The Sharks
Many families turned out to learn the basics of canoeing on the stunning Grand Union Canal. There were lots of laughs and smiles from children who on getting into a canoe became oblivious to the drops of rain as they perfected their technique.
ACAVA Open Studios
Nestled alongside industrial buildings, the studios were bright and welcoming. Visitors were free to explore the creations of the resident artists, some with an existing interest in art and others keen to learn more, which the artists delighted to indulge them on.
The legacy of Lifting the Lid on Old Oak and Park Royal
This is the first time that Old Oak and Park Royal has featured in Open House. The partnership added a more industrial focus to the programme and we were thrilled to welcome over 450 people to the area, some who knew about the area and many others who had never been before.
Much of the success was down to the input of local people who were willing to share their extensive knowledge of the area. Our ambition is to grow this network and to have even more local businesses get involved in the future.
The planning for next year begins now, please get in touch to register your interest either as a volunteer or to open your business and/or building up the public.