Bernie Grant Arts Centre

The £15 million Bernie Grant Arts Centre was designed by David Adjaye OBE and opened in 2007. It was named after Bernie Grant, one of the UK’s first black politicians and MP for Tottenham, who first proposed the idea of creating a flagship venue to promote BAME arts in 1944.

The Centre comprises three buildings:

The Hub is a Grade II listed three storey Edwardian Baroque style building, facing Town Hall Approach Road. Built in 1905 by A S Taylor and R Jemmett, it was previously the entrance to Tottenham public swimming baths. It is built of English bond red brick with Portland stone bands and dressings. There is a 2007 black clad extension to the rear. It houses the box office, administration offices, teaching and multimedia studios and a multi-purpose space which can be used as a 44 seat cinema.

Behind the Hub is the 2007 performance centre which houses a 279-seat theatre, café bar/mezzanine and rehearsal studios. The performance centre’s façade consists of glass panels with a large canopy extending forward from the building at the top and sides, clad with horizontal battens of purple-heart timber. On entering, the canopy becomes the ceiling to the front of house space, where the café bar and mezzanine are located. From the mezzanine the theatre can be accessed. The theatre has a floor space of 19.8 x 15.5 metres. The stage dimensions are approximately 8 x 15 metres. The theatre can seat up to 279 on raked seating and a gallery in an end-stage or theatre-in-the-round configuration, or 150 cabaret style. There are three dressing rooms.

The separate enterprise unit to the rear of the performance centre comprises a long series of low-rise units used by creative businesses.