If you’ve taken a winter wander down the River Lea recently, you will have spotted Hackney Bridge. A brand new, public destination, it’s nestled on the canal side just five minutes from Hackney Wick Station.
Here, a striking set of pitched roof buildings are now home to unique workspace and studios housing local artists, makers and other small businesses.
Since opening their doors in September, Hackney Bridge has begun welcoming a diverse mix of local independent creatives to the project. These include a hair and nail salon founded by Hackney sisters Leonie & Celica, fashion brands, homeware makers, a local brewery who will be brewing on site, videographers, music producers, vintage clothing store Get Up Yesterday, bespoke skateboards shop Big Aye and Gallivant Stories, who make award-winning vegan unisex perfumes.
Need a caffeine hit? Don’t miss Hackney Wick coffee staple The Roasting Shed, which has also just opened up right here. (Tip: you have to try the mouthwatering mini cronuts). Sip your brew while admiring the huge eye-catching mural by Busk, created as part of this year’s London Mural Festival.
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Hackney Bridge began almost five years ago, when Make Shift (founders of Pop Brixton and Peckham Levels) began three years of Community Consultation to find out what the local community wanted from the site.
Fast forward to 2020, and the project now offers flexible workspaces designed for local makers and creators of all sizes and types. Now, with only four of these spaces remaining, Hackney Bridge is looking to welcome their final few local enterprises.
Hackney Bridge: what’s on offer?
Available Workspaces
● Two Artists Studios, suitable for creatives of all kinds
● One Office Space, suitable for a larger team
● One Maker Retail Space, suitable for those looking to create and trade from within the same space.
The spaces are ply lined, light and airy, a blank canvas ready for enterprises to move in and transform them into their enterprise home.
Local Residents’ Co-Work and Supported Spaces
Hackney Bridge is already home to an exciting and eclectic mix of local independent enterprises, including:
● Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation, who work to create meaningful cultural engagement opportunities for young people
● The Outrunners Charity, who create positive change through fitness
● Discordo Studio, an East London creative studio known for their work within the music industry, the Arts and with non-profit charities, celebrating chaos and collaboration across multiple design formats
● Zhero, London’s first zero emission logistics provider working with the arts, interiors, media and fashion industries
● Onyx, an inclusive hair and nail salon founded by Hackney born and bred sister.
Alongside the private artists’ studios and other workspaces, the project is home to co-working with vaulted ceilings and awash with natural light along with all the shared workspace essentials – good coffee, meeting rooms, telephone booths and more. The space is currently operating at 50% capacity to allow for COVID safety measures including social distancing. Weekly memberships are also available for maximum flexibility.
As a project with social impact at its core, Hackney Bridge commits to supporting local enterprises, and offers a number of Supported Spaces available at significantly reduced rent – typically 35-50% off the full rental value. Those living in Hackney, Newham, Waltham Forest or Tower Hamlets are eligible to apply for these spaces. More information can be found at www.hackneybridge.org/supported-spaces.
Calling Event Organisers and Restaurateurs!
If you’re looking for a new opportunity in 2021, then Hackney Bridge may be able to offer it. There’s an impressive vaulted-ceiling Event Space, with an outdoor amphitheatre and a terraced bar area, for which they are currently seeking a local event operator to programme a diverse and inclusive calendar of events. The space has an indoor capacity of over 500, but the outdoor space allows ultimate flexibility and the opportunity for an exciting new Hackney venue to be established from Spring 2021.
The project also has two brand new restaurant spaces, as well as a generous tap room / bar space available, all with terraces overlooking the River Lea and canal path. Currently open to applications from local restaurateurs and bar operators.
If you’re a local enterprise looking for a new opportunity, get in touch with the Hackney Bridge team to book a tour of the project. And yes, coffee and cronuts may well be included.
Main image: Photo Credit: Hassan Gazali, Hackney Bridge
