East London-based arts charity and social enterprise Bow Arts is proud to mark its 30th anniversary in 2025 with the announcement of a major milestone: the permanent acquisition of the Lakeside Centre in Thamesmead, southeast London. This bold step cements the charity’s commitment to securing sustainable, affordable creative infrastructure across the capital and comes in a year of celebration and reflection on three decades of impact across London’s artistic and local communities.

Purchased from Peabody, who are leading the long-term regeneration of Thamesmead, the brutalist landmark on the north shore of Southmere Lake is now a permanent part of Bow Arts’ growing portfolio of creative workspaces. The purchase of the building cements the Lakeside Centre’s position as a lynchpin in Thamesmead’s growing creative community and gives artists a real chance to invest in the place they live and work. Bow Arts’ unique model runs in a sustainable, circular way: 100% of its income is invested directly back into the charity’s services, supporting local creativity and access to the arts. That includes long-term help for young people in Thamesmead through initiatives like Bow Arts’ Arts Chests, funds that support artist educators to run workshops, projects, and training in local schools.

Tracing the Lakeside Centre’s journey back to 2017, Bow Arts transformed the disused building into a vibrant, holistic arts centre, with support from the Mayor’s Good Growth Fund, Arts Council England, and Peabody. The creative retrofit introduced forty permanent affordable studios for artists, a media space for exhibitions, a community nursery, a café and training kitchen, and a community garden. The building itself is also a key cultural landmark: situated on Southmere Lake, it has featured in seminal films and
series, including Misfits and Beautiful Thing.

Today, the Lakeside Centre is home to over 44 artists, who work across disciplines from carnival costume design to ceramics, photography, and mosaic-making. Together, they contribute to a thriving local creative economy and an inclusive cultural life for Thamesmead.

Marcel Baettig, CEO, Bow Arts Trust says, “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 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.”

Marcus Orlandi, Artist at the Lakeside Centre says, “Living in Thamesmead for 7 years has allowed me to develop a professional practice that’s truly embedded in the community… The live/work scheme and access to local funding have made London affordable at a time when there are so few opportunities for artists.”

This purchase follows Bow Arts’ recent acquisition of a second building in Hackney Wick, reinforcing its mission to provide long-term, sustainable support for creatives across London.