LONDON.- Following the success of the South London Gallery’s stage two bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the gallery has started construction work on the former Peckham Road Fire Station with a view to opening it to the public as a mixed-use cultural centre in 2018.

The Grade II-listed former Fire Station, which was given to the SLG by an anonymous benefactor, has been awarded a grant of £1,650,000 thanks to National Lottery players. The grant will help to restore the building and develop a programme of activities involving people from across the local community, setting up traineeships and a volunteering scheme which will focus on expanding the SLG’s archive to document the social, economic and cultural history of the local area.

The £4m project has also received a substantial grant from the Mayor’s London Regeneration Fund as well as funding from a number of trusts, foundations, individuals and commercial galleries to raise a total of £3.3m. The SLG is now embarking on the final stage of its fundraising campaign to secure the final £700,000 to cover restoration costs and establish a fund for the future running of the building.

The redesign, led by 6a architects, creates a series of light and inspiring spaces over four floors, maintaining the original layout of rooms as far as possible. 6a architects are known for their work with arts organisations and artists, with projects including the award-winning gallery Raven Row, Sadie Coles in Davies Street, Juergen Teller’s studio and, currently in progress, the major expansion of Milton Keynes Gallery.

Head of Heritage Lottery Fund London, Stuart Hobley, said: “This project combines the restoration of a Grade II Victorian fire station, the opening up of a fascinating archive, and the opportunity for an innovative arts organisation to expand and develop their exhibition, events and educational offerings. We’re delighted National Lottery players are able to support this excellent example of the close relationship between heritage and the arts.”

The project is a unique and timely opportunity for the SLG to build on its achievements to date and will secure the building for public benefit at a time of rapid change in the local area. The Fire Station will extend the scope of the gallery’s exhibition, events and education activities, and its role and impact on a local, national and international level. The project complements other key regeneration initiatives taking place across Peckham and Camberwell, enhancing the area as an important creative hub in London.

London’s Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe, said: “It’s terrific to see work start on the expansion of the South London Gallery and restoration of this historic local building, which will play an important role in the wider regeneration of Peckham. This development is an excellent example of multiple stakeholders, including the Mayor’s London Regeneration Fund, coming together to get a significant project off the ground.”

The new building, opening in 2018, will incorporate exhibition, learning and meeting spaces, an artist’s studio, the SLG’s archive and material relating to the social, architectural and cultural history of the local area. The gallery’s fascinating archive of its 125 year history will be accessible to the public for the first time, both digitally and through changing displays in a dedicated archive room.

For more than a decade the SLG has built up its international reputation for contemporary art exhibitions and projects, and its extensive work in its local area. The Fire Station is located only 100m from the SLG’s main site and near three housing estates and two schools where the gallery has been running art projects with local residents for many years. Working with local residents the SLG has delivered numerous projects including; a large-scale installation by Mark Titchner on Sceaux Gardens estate, an artwork by Federico Herrero for the children’s playground at Pelican estate, a 34m-high work by Heather and Ivan Morison carved from a fir tree installed at a mixed needs special secondary school in Camberwell, and a permanent garden designed by Gabriel Orozco which links Sceaux Gardens estate to the SLG. The expansion into the Fire Station will allow the gallery to build on these innovative projects and increase the depth of engagement and participation amongst new and existing audiences.

Margot Heller, director of the SLG said: “The exceptionally generous gift of the fire station and support of our funders will be truly transformative for the South London Gallery. Our expansion into this distinctive building will enable us to undertake a major step change in the scope and impact of our artistic and education programmes, championing the importance of art, culture and public space that is free to all at a time of rapid change in the local area.”

In the summer of 2016 the SLG collaborated with the Guggenheim Museum on a major exhibition which opened up the ground floor of the Fire Station to the public for the first time and gave visitors a chance to experience the potential of the new building for showing contemporary art and for hosting events and artist residences. The SLG also held a community consultation funded by the HLF, which offered an opportunity to gather views about the development from a broader audience and forge local relationships and partnerships at the start of the project.

The SLG are seeking donors and partners to help raise the final £700,000 and to realise the vision for the building. The project has been generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Mayor's London Regeneration Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, The Dr. Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation, City Bridge Trust, Viridor Credits, Foyle Foundation, UBS, The Wolfson Foundation, Charles Hayward Foundation, The Pilgrim Trust, Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Matthew Slotover and Emily King, Christie’s, Sadie Coles HQ, kurimanzutto, Heritage of London Trust, The Architectural Heritage Fund, and other supporters.