Gort Scott was appointed following an invited competition in 2022 as architect, conservation architect and lead consultant for the redevelopment of Woolwich Old Town Hall. 

Woolwich is home to an unusual concentration of former civic buildings, now in need of new use. Gort Scott has conceived a series of sensitive insertions and alterations to form an arts hub in the Old Town Hall.

The Council objective is to bring forward a sustainable, modern, flexible and affordable workspace offer for new creative industry enterprises and businesses in the heart of Woolwich town centre, creating more opportunities for jobs, training and skills, and support networking and joint commission opportunities. 

We worked closely with Second Floor Studios – who were appointed by Royal Borough of Greenwich as the building’s workspace operator – to maximise the opportunities presented by the building for people working in the creative industries. 

The Grade II listed Old Town Hall has seen numerous civic uses and development phases, which have resulted in multiple entry points and level changes, ad-hoc internal partitioning, and a confusing sense of public identity.

The ground floor of the main historic core has been significantly altered over time. There are modern subdivisions, making it difficult to navigate and detracting from the significance of the building. Interesting historic remnants, such as chamfered/corbelled columns and historic vaults, are difficult to appreciate currently.

The primary first floor rooms have not suffered the same degree of successive subdivision and spaces are well proportioned and retain many original features.

A later extension to the south was built too close to the historic staircase, effectively compromising a key historic orientation and vertical access point within the building.

The principal entrance to the Old Town Hall from Calderwood Street will be modified to improve access. The proposed alterations will reveal the historic stair and restore its historic relationship to the street. The new entrance will be formed in Portland Stone reflecting the material quality of the historic core of the Old Town Hall.

Proposals include new, generously sized, accessible artists’ studios on both levels. The workspaces will have access to dedicated wash-up area for wet art materials, secure bike storage and WC areas.

At the rear of the Old Library is a currently under-used, single-story building which fronts onto Bathway. The building will be converted into new artists’ studios which can be used as a gallery space when hosting ‘open studios’ events.

An uninviting concrete rear yard area is re-imagined as a landscaped, accessible shared court, with new planting. The removal of level-changes will provide an accessible route between the Calderwood Street side of the building and Bathway.