Drop In to W12's Most Unusual Buildings
As they take part in London's Open House Festival
Greenside Primary School open for visits this Sunday
September 11, 2023
Two of W12's most unusual buildings are welcoming visitors this weekend, as part of the Open House Festival - a celebration of London's homes, architecture and neighbourhoods.
The Foundry, at 1 Adelaide Grove, is holding drop in Open Days on Saturday 16 September from 2pm till 5pm and Sunday 17 September from 11am till 2pm.
Tucked behind a busy road in W12, the former George Broad sculpture foundry is now a multi-level development featuring an architects’ studio with courtyards and spaces for exhibitions and musical performances. Entered by a discreet street door into the gallery, the studio immediately offers a palpable tranquillity in dramatic contrast to the noisy Uxbridge Road outside.
The existing workshop building was historically used as a brick kiln serving the brick yards north of the site in the area where Wormholt Park is now located. It has a distinctive square brick 15 metre high chimney constructed in London Stock brick, which is now a local landmark.
Greenside Primary School, at 51 Westville Road is holding a drop in day including guided tours on Sunday 17 September from midday till 5pm.
One of only two primary schools designed by influential architect Erno Goldfinger using a pre-cast concrete system, Greenside is today an important modernist building. It is Grade II* listed - the star due to the fine top-lit mural in the entrance foyer commissioned by Goldfinger and painted by architectural artist and urban theorist Gordon Cullen. The mural has recently been re-restored and the schoolkeeper's cottage has also recently been refurbished and brought into the daily life of the school.
The Foundry, at 1 Adelaide Grove
Further afield, two historic buildings in Hammersmith are also taking part in the Open House Festival. The William Morris Society is hosting an Open Day at its premises in the Coach House and basement of Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall on Saturday 16 September, with extended hours from midday till 5pm, including printing demonstrations running in the Print Room every hour on the hour from 1pm-3pm.
7 Hammersmith Terrace, the home of Emery Walker, will host a drop in Open Day on Sunday 17 September from 1pm till 5pm. Sir Emery Walker was an English engraver, photographer and printer who took an active role in the Arts and Crafts movement. He was a friend of William Morris, and his collection of 16th-century typefaces inspired Morris to create the Kelmscott Press.
You can find the Open House Festival’s full programme here.
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