History and Site

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 found. It has a distinctive square brick chimney constructed in London Stock brick.

Records suggest that the sculpture founder George Broad used Adelaide Works as a foundry from 1891 until his death in 1895. George Broad is best known for his work for the sculptor Alfred Gilbert. In 1892–1893 Gilbert was occupied with the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, in Piccadilly Circus, London. Broad cast the base of the bronze and aluminium Memorial Fountain, the so-called Eros fountain, in 1891-1893. It is marked with a Broad & Son / Founders plaque.

When first encountered the buildings were derelict. This project, through innovation, breathes new life into these previously dilapidated 19th-century industrial buildings.

The decision to repurpose the Foundry as an architects' studio was strongly supported by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. It preserves the link with the light industrial heritage of the area and retains business use.

Refurbishing instead of demolishing aligns with environmental considerations and with the Local Plan by providing a high-quality sustainable development, respectful of its context.

The Foundry's Rebirth

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 15m long entrance gallery space is flanked by a brick-paved courtyard garden with floor-to-ceiling glass doors giving light and access. At the far end an in-situ cast concrete stair leads up to the main studio on a new mezzanine level. The studio space has a slatted maple ceiling and purpose-made studio furniture, both designed by the practice and fabricated on site. Large new windows give views into the two courtyard gardens and over neighbouring roofs.

The palette of new materials includes natural timber, in-situ cast concrete, precast concrete and exposed structural steel. These are beautifully integrated with the sandblasted and restored nineteenth century brickwork. The juxtaposition of these materials illuminated from a variety of natural-light sources creates a poetic contemporary design aesthetic in perfect harmony with the historic structure of the Foundry building.

The Foundry’s new roof is a defining feature of the repurposed building. Retaining the tall chimney and much of the historic fabric has ensured that the past remains present while the replacement roof with a form that references the building’s industrial past has given the building a distinctive contemporary feature for the future.