London Dock's Historic Vaults and Artists' Studio Open for Architecture Festival
The historic vaults inside the Pennington Street Warehouse in Wapping will open to the public on Saturday 17 (1pm - 5pm) and Sunday 18 September 2016 (10am - 1pm) as part of the Open House London weekend.
The Grade II listed brick warehouse was built in 1806 as part of the first enclosed commercial docks in the capital, designed to store expensive cargo held in bond. It has been closed to the public for more than 200 years and is now part of the London Dock development being undertaken by St George.
As part of the London Dock development, the warehouse will be sensitively restored and brought back to use as the commercial heart of the development with an eclectic mix of retail, restaurants, galleries and offices.
Part of the historic warehouse is used by Bow Arts to provide affordable working space for more than 100 emerging artists, designers and makers. These studios, as well as the warehouse's vaulted basement, will open this weekend for fans of 19th century industrial architecture and local history to explore.
Marcus Blake, Managing Director of St George City said: "We are delighted to open up this incredible warehouse, which is steeped in a rich history. The Open House weekend provides a unique opportunity for people to explore this unique listed building."
Marcel Baettig, Chief Executive of Bow Arts said: "More than 100 artists are working inside the fantastic Pennington Street Warehouse, using this historic space to create masterpieces of the future. We are excited to be involved with Open House London and open up the working studios for people to explore."
Open House London is an annual architecture and design festival which invites the public to explore behind the doors of some of the capital's most important buildings, including 10 Downing Street, the Bank of England and Royal Albert Hall.
Both the Pennington Street Warehouse basement and Rum Factory studios will be open on Saturday 17 September 2016 (1pm - 5pm) and the warehouse will also be open on Sunday 18 September 2016 (10am - 1pm).