Cromwell Place

The art market in London has enjoyed continued growth over the last five years, and there are now more than 250 galleries established in the capital’s West End. Cromwell Place is a first-of-its-kind arts space and membership model, with rentable exhibition space, office space, viewing rooms and art storage. The architectural challenge was to provide a space for this unique gallery concept within five Grade-II listed buildings dating from 1857-60, one of which was originally occupied by the celebrated Victorian portraitist Sir John Lavery. The existing building contained many outstanding period features, including original staircases with ironwork balustrades and curled timber handrails; original fireplaces, cornicing, ceiling roses and late Baroque-style mirrors in Sir John Lavery's former studio at No.5 Cromwell Place. As well as refurbishment works, the project involved the sensitive insertion of new, connected circulation spaces, including a new pavilion gallery and an underground art storage facility. Our key moves involved sensitively restoring the existing Grade-II listed buildings to provide thirteen gallery spaces that celebrate the period features throughout. We then deftly introduced new interventions including viewing rooms, secure and climate-controlled underground art storage and a large new pavilion gallery. Placed in the courtyard behind the main Cromwell Place terrace, this new pavilion creates a contrasting, contemporary viewing space - the largest of Cromwell Place’s galleries. A sawtooth roof punctuated with north lights sits above 140m2 of column-free space with floor-to-ceiling heights of up to 4.6 metres to create a world-class display area for major exhibitions. Overlooked from all angles, the roof is effectively the fifth elevation of the building. Its hipped rooflights allow north light into the galleries below, and the whole volume is clad in black metal with a textured finish. Alongside the public exhibition spaces which will occupy the lower floors, we have incorporated a secure, international-standard climate-controlled storage facility, administrative areas, and private viewing rooms to allow discreet meetings between galleries and collectors. The storage, packing, shipping and logistical facilities are a unique feature of Cromwell Place, and the only resource of its kind in central London. An experienced in-house team of art handlers will be available to install shows, arrange deliveries and organise packing. The thirteen period gallery spaces have been individually designed to maintain the personality and integrity of the original room, yet discreetly modified to suit the anticipated needs of our members. The qualities of Sir John Lavery’s workplace – interconnected spaces, tall windows, high ceilings and modulated natural light – required minimal intervention from us to convert them for contemporary use as a shared marketplace for the collective of gallery businesses.