Open House Festival

The King's Foundation - Charlotte Road

education

Matthew Lloyd Architects, 1998

19 - 22 Charlotte Road, EC2A 3SG

A refurbished factory warehouse, the repurposed space now hosts educational programmes and activities of the School of Traditional Arts and the architectural team of the King’s Foundation. Live demonstrations of traditional arts skills by students and alumni, scheduled talks on KF's architectural projects, and guided tours all await the visitor.

Getting there

Tube

Old Street

Train

Liverpool Street

Bus

135, 141, 149, 205, 21, 243, 43, 55, 76

Additional travel info

N/A

Access

Facilities

Accessibility notes

The building has many stairs. There is lift access from the ground floor, accessible parking nearby with limited parking space locally.

What you can expect

As a working building with limited access to certain areas during the opening days, the space can be lively and may become crowded.

About

Past and Present

Formerly a Victorian factory warehouse, the converted building now hosts the educational programmes and activities of the School of Traditional Arts and the architectural team of the King’s Foundation. The building supports the Foundation's objectives to embrace the principles of sustainable architecture and urban regeneration.

Originally a furniture showroom and warehouse complex, the two five-storey buildings were built by E Khan & Co in 1896-1897. The building was downscaled to Number 17-18 Charlotte Road in 1931 and the basement and first floor of Number 19-22 became a cardboard factory until 1969. The building's refurbishment was featured in the July 2001 issue of Architectural Digest, which celebrated the historic building's conversion into a center for arts and architecture in London. The furniture and bookshelves in the library were fashioned from ash trees harvested from the Highgrove Estate. The library holds a unique collection of architectural references and resources.

Visitors can appreciate the relatively untouched exterior and historical facade of Charlotte Road carefully preserved by the architect, Matthew Lloyd. This Open House is an exceptional opportunity to view the work of MA and PhD students from the King's Foundation School of Traditional Arts, and tour the studios and classrooms of this internationally recognised programme.

On the day

We welcome visitors to drop in on the Third Floor to view a display of traditional arts and craftwork by the students and learn about the educational programmes of the School of Traditional Arts. There will also be an open market where visitors can purchase artwork produced by students and alumni of the school, and watch live demonstrations of traditional techniques.

The First and Second Floors are accessible to registered participants who sign up for the Guided Tours. The guided tours are available on both days and require booking.

Parts of the building will be open to the public from 11:00 - 15:00 on Friday 18 and 12:00 - 16:00 on Saturday 20 September 2026. The Basement and Fourth Floor will be inaccessible.

Panel Discussion: Reuse and Regeneration in Shoreditch

The King’s Foundation building in Shoreditch, itself a reuse of a former textile warehouse, is a pioneering retrofit project. Completed in 2000, the building utilises a natural stack ventilation system and celebrates the robust materials of its existing fabric, practices that at the turn of the century were ahead of their time. Having occupied the building consistently for the last 26 years, the charity has seen Shoreditch evolve around it. Join us to hear from Matthew Lloyd (the Architect of that conversion) and Neal Shasore (Historian of the Built environment and Architectural educator) to discuss those early reuse principles and the continuing cycle of regeneration in Shoreditch and what the future holds for this vibrant piece of city.

Notes

It is advised to wear comfortable shoes for the visit and to travel by public transport to reach the building. Please be advised to bring a form of contactless payment and cash for the student art market.

Online presence

schooloftraditionalarts.org

www.instagram.com/schooloftraditionalarts

Nearby

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