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 on both days, the space can be lively and may be crowded on the day.

Create a free visitor account to book festival tickets

Drop in activities

Fri 19 Sep

11:00–15:00

Drop in: Open Day and Market

Exhibits of educational and architectural projects, live demonstrations of traditional arts skills by students and alumni, and small market.

Sat 20 Sep

11:00–15:00

Drop in: Open Day and Market

Exhibits of educational and architectural projects, live demonstrations of traditional arts skills by students and alumni, and small market.

Activities

Fri 19 Sep

Guided tour

11:15–11:45

Guided Tour - Studio and Library

A guided tour of the 1st Floor and Library that would otherwise only be accessible to the student and alumni of the school.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

Talk

11:45–12:15

An Architect's Insight - The King's Foundation Building

A talk about the transformation of the building by Matthew Lloyd, from Matthew Lloyd Architects.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

Guided tour

12:15–12:45

Guided Tour - Studio and Library

A guided tour of the 1st Floor and Library that would otherwise only be accessible to the student and alumni of the school.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

Talk

12:45–13:15

An Architect's Insight - The King's Foundation Building

A talk about the transformation of the building by Matthew Lloyd, from Matthew Lloyd Architects.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

Guided tour

13:15–13:45

Guided Tour - Studio and Library

A guided tour of the 1st Floor and Library that would otherwise only be accessible to the student and alumni of the school

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

Talk

13:45–14:15

An Architect's Insight - The King's Foundation Building

A talk about the transformation of the building by Matthew Lloyd, from Matthew Lloyd Architects.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

Sat 20 Sep

Guided tour

11:15–11:45

Guided Tour - Studio and Library

A guided tour of the 1st Floor and Library that would otherwise only be accessible to the student and alumni of the school.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

Talk

11:45–12:15

The King's Foundation - Architectural Project Team

A short talk about the architectural projects and campaign by the King's Foundation Architectural team.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

Guided tour

12:15–12:45

Guided Tour - Studio and Library

A guided tour of the 1st Floor and Library that would otherwise only be accessible to the student and alumni of the school.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

Talk

12:45–13:15

The King's Foundation - Architectural Project Team

A talk about the architectural projects and campaign by the King's Foundation Architectural team.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

Guided tour

13:15–13:45

Guided Tour - Studio and Library

A guided tour of the 1st Floor and Library that would otherwise only be accessible to the student and alumni of the school.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

Talk

13:45–14:15

The King's Foundation - Architectural Project Team

A talk about the architectural projects and campaign by the King's Foundation Architectural team.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

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. Catch a glimpse of projects that are normally not accessible to the public by the King Foundation's architectural team. 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 Floor are accessible to registered participants who sign up for the Studio and Library Guided Tour. Visitors can also register to attend architectural talks by Matthew Lloyd, architect of the building's transformation, and presentations by the Foundation's architectural team on their fascinating portfolio of projects. The guided tour and the talks are available on both days, every hour from 11:15 and 11:45 respectively, and last for thirty minutes.

Parts of the building will be open to the public from 11:00 - 15:00 on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 September 2025. The Basement and Fourth Floor will be inaccessible.

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

Back to top of page