Gainsborough Studios
London
Located between the Regent’s Canal and Shoreditch Park - where the Borough of Hackney meets Islington - Gainsborough Studios lies in an area with great regeneration potential. This predominantly residential re-use and new build complex provides a rich mix of commercial and retail uses, and is set to improve the image of the area.
Built originally as a power station and subsequently used as warehousing, the film studios (which closed in 1950) have been retained and extended into an L-shape, with a stylish new block erected to the west and a fourth block adjacent to the canal-side.
Within the central open courtyard, artist Anthony Donaldson’s huge sculpted head of the film director Alfred Hitchcock is a striking monument to the pre-Hollywood working life he spent on this site.
The residents of the 253 apartments, which include public and private housing and live/work units, have the amenity of the landscaped canal-side and water features which are also accessible to the public.
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