East London-based arts charity and social enterprise Bow Arts celebrates its 30th anniversary with a bold new chapter: the permanent acquisition of the Lakeside Centre in Thamesmead, southeast London.
This landmark moment strengthens the charity’s commitment to building sustainable, affordable creative infrastructure across the capital—and marks three decades of impact on London’s artistic and local communities.
“As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, this milestone feels particularly meaningful. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to become a permanent part of this vibrant community and to be entrusted with the
Marcel Baettig, CEO, Bow Arts Trust
stewardship of a building that has meant so much to Thamesmead for so long. It’s a place everyone can now enjoy, secure in its future.”
Purchased from Peabody, who are leading Thamesmead’s long-term regeneration, the brutalist Lakeside Centre—on the north shore of Southmere Lake—becomes a lasting part of Bow Arts’ growing network of creative workspaces. The acquisition secures the building’s future as a hub for the area’s creative community, offering artists a rare opportunity to put down roots where they live and work.
Bow Arts operates on a circular, self-sustaining model: 100% of income is reinvested into its charitable programmes, which support local creativity and access to the arts. In Thamesmead, this includes initiatives like Arts Chests—small funds that empower artist educators to deliver workshops, projects, and training in local schools, creating meaningful opportunities for young people.
Bow Arts first took on the Lakeside Centre in 2017, transforming the disused site into a dynamic, multi-use arts centre with support from the Mayor’s Good Growth Fund, Arts Council England, and Peabody. The creative retrofit introduced 40 affordable artist studios, a media space, a community nursery, a café and training kitchen, and a public garden. The building itself is a cultural icon, featured in seminal British screen works like Misfits and Beautiful Thing.
Today, the Lakeside Centre is home to over 44 artists working across disciplines—from carnival costume design and ceramics to photography and mosaic-making. Together, they are helping to shape Thamesmead’s growing cultural identity and vibrant creative economy.
About
Bow Arts Trust was founded in 1994 with the mission to support artists and bring the arts into the heart of communities. What began as a single studio site in east London has since grown into a city-wide network of 17 creative locations. In 2025, Bow Arts celebrates 30 years of nurturing London’s creative talent through a unique and sustainable model that reinvests 100% of its income directly back into the charity’s artistic and educational programmes.
Over the past three decades, Bow Arts has provided nearly £4.8 million in subsidised services across its studio and housing network, including major sites at Royal Albert Wharf, Camden, and Three Waters. Today, it supports nearly 1,000 artists through affordable studio space, live/work housing, professional development opportunities, and pathways into education and exhibition.
Bow Arts is also home to the Nunnery Gallery, a free contemporary art space in Bow, which has been a platform for artists for 27 years. The gallery hosts exhibitions rooted in east London’s stories and creative scene and is now the home of the East London Art Prize—a major new award for emerging artists in the capital.
As one of the largest creative education providers in the city, Bow Arts delivers over 1,300 artist-led projects annually in schools. In 2024 alone, it reached 8,500 children and young people across 17 boroughs, working with over 80 schools. Through partnerships with artist educators, it creates inclusive, impactful learning that boosts confidence, attainment, and long-term engagement with the arts.
Bow Arts is both an arts and education charity and a social enterprise. Its sustainable, circular model enables it to continue investing in London’s creative future while helping to grow resilient, locally rooted creative economies. More than 1,100 artists, designers, and makers are currently affiliated with Bow Arts across its workspaces, gallery programmes, artist housing, and award-winning education initiatives. @bowarts
