NN Contemporary Art, in partnership with West Northamptonshire Council, today reveals plans for a major new cultural centre at 24 Guildhall Road, in the heart of Northampton’s cultural quarter. The £4.7 million project, which is about to enter its second stage of works will see the five-storey redundant heritage building transformed into a vibrant creative community, with a contemporary art gallery, affordable creative studios and public spaces.
With a phased opening planned from late 2023 / early 2024, the 2000 sq. metre Georgian building will become the new home of lead tenant and founding partner, NN Contemporary Art (NNCA), who will take over the lower three floors, opening a free public gallery space that will showcase the very best of international contemporary art. With a focus on nurturing the town’s creative ecosystem, the floors will also encompass 20 affordable creative workspaces and studios, enabling hundreds of artists and creators to grow and develop their practice in the town.
Designed to become a major creative hub for Northampton and the wider East Midlands region, the fully-accessible building will also incorporate multi-functional community and event spaces including a civic reading room and arts library, a retail space and multimedia lab. Further creative and cultural tenants will be invited to lease the upper two floors.
The project team includes Northamptonshire’s PHP Architects, CS2 Chartered Surveyors and artist/architect Sean Griffiths, acting as Client Advisory. Taking inspiration from its original 1920s
design, the plans honour the heritage of the building, seeing many of its original features restored, including the stunning terrazzo floor. Artist Giles Round has been commissioned to design the Civic Reading Room Space.
Identified as a key element of Northampton’s regeneration, and highlighted as one of the public’s preferred priorities through a consultation carried out by Northampton Forward, the £4.7 million project is supported by the government’s Towns Fund and part of the Northampton Town Centre Masterplan. Alongside Towns Fund investment, phase one of the project has delivered £1.15 million through South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership’s Getting Building Fund.
Located within the town’s Cultural Quarter, with neighbours including the Royal & Derngate Theatre and the newly-refurbished Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, the project builds on the wider vision for the area as a vibrant, innovative public space for culture and creativity.
We are delighted today to be announcing the next stage of our relocation & renovation project
Emer Grant, CEO and Artistic Director, NN Contemporary Art
at 24 Guildhall Road. Working alongside partners we aim to bring a new kind of cultural
institution to Northamptonshire. Our approach throughout has tried to expand the terms of
collaboration (and municipal process alike) as integral to the design of 21st century public realm.
Phase two of this capital project will continue to develop civic spaces to an environmentally
sustainable and culturally ambitious outcome with the aim to open in late 2023. The completion
of 24 Guildhall Road will bring exciting benefits to our local community and recognises the
pivotal role of contemporary art in shaping extraordinary places
NN CONTEMPORARY ART
NN Contemporary Art (NNCA) is an independent contemporary art space in the centre of Northampton. It
started in 2003 when a group of artists and practitioners came together to form Northampton Arts
Collective (NAC). They were united by the common goal to elevate contemporary art within
Northamptonshire. At NN we believe that international art and culture should be accessible to all. Over
the last few years we have worked with schools, community groups and regional partners to deliver
innovative exhibitions, educational events and projects that are free to all. We work with artists at all
stages of their careers; from students to Venice Biennale award winners.
ABOUT EAST MIDLANDS’ CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
Research from Oxford Economics, commissioned by Creative UK in 2021, showed that the East Midlands’
creative industries support huge swathes of the East Midlands economy, with every £1 they contribute
directly resulting in an additional £1.90 being generated elsewhere in the region’s wider economy. Oxford
Economics also estimates that while 91,000 people in the East Midlands work in the creative industries,
the sector directly supports an additional 141,000 jobs across other industries in the region, making it the
UK region that makes the biggest impact, proportionately, on wider job creation.
