A block of abandoned Victorian toilets in Camberwell looks set to be transformed into an arts and publishing space, after a crowdfunding project received £10,000 of pledges.
The Bower project in Brunswick Park was backed by 240 people after it launched in June.
Joyce Cronin and Louisa Bailey said the brick block in Brunswick Park had been empty “since the 1980s”. But their vision is to make into a pop-up space for theatre and film screenings and artists, as well as a base for their publishing business.
Joyce, from Herne Hill, said: “We are thrilled to reach our target, and were shocked to meet it before the deadline.
“We had two major donors of £1,000 which helped immensely – an anonymous individual and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, who fund projects in the arts, children and young people… We are really grateful for their support.”
Their bid to take over the building was first made in February 2016, but their plan now is for building work to start in September.
Joyce added: “We can’t thank the Friends of Brunswick Park enough for their support and enthusiasm for the project, and one of the most rewarding things about doing the crowdfunder was seeing the overwhelming amount of support and the warm reception we have received from the local community in Camberwell.”
Louisa said: “We used to have a similar project in Kennington, where we had an old barber shop used by people doing a mixture of things like cutting hair and a publishing businesses, and we want to do a similar thing here.”
To find out more, visit: www.spacehive.com/the-bower.