It is good news for all Amwell Society members that the House of Illustration (HoI) has acquired the heritage assets – Engine House, Windmill Base, old coal stores, associated additional buildings and land at the New River Head, ending a campaign lasting almost 30 years to prevent inappropriate development of this important, historical site.

Thames Water moved its headquarters from the New River Head to Reading in the early 1990s and the vast office building, research station and water quality buildings on the site were quickly converted to apartments.  A Planning Brief produced by the London Borough of Islington [LBI] called for the redundant industrial buildings at the northern end of the site to be made available for heritage, education and community purposes. Despite this obligation, Thames Water sold many of these buildings to a property developer who spent several years trying unsuccessfully to gain planning permission for residential development.

About three years ago the developer accepted that this was not going to happen, and let it be known that he was willing to sell his interest in the site. The Amwell Society was instrumental in introducing the House of Illustration (HoI) to the site at a time when they were looking for a permanent home when the lease on their current building at Kings Cross expires about 3 years hence. Negotiations took about 18 months, before the HoI successfully acquired long leases on all main buildings on the site, including the Grade II Listed Engine House, home to steam pumping engines for over 150 years.

The House of Illustration, founded 5 years ago by Sir Quentin Blake, is familiar to many of us, not least because of the enjoyable outing there earlier in the year to see the retrospective exhibition of the works of renowned illustrator and graphic novelist (and Amwell Society member) Posy Simmons. Said HoI Director, Colin McKenzie ‘We are absolutely delighted to have acquired such an important and exciting site to be the long term home for the UK’s only public gallery devoted to the celebration of the art of illustration. The Amwell Society has played a central role in us acquiring the site and we are looking forward to their continued involvement as we develop our plans.’

HoI recently advertised for architects to work with them on a project planned to complete in 2022 to design the exhibition, teaching, administrative and community facilities on the site, and we understand that 6 firms have now been short-listed. We also hope that, before very long, we will be able to offer Amwell Society members the opportunity for a tour of the site, and the chance to see for themselves these impressive buildings at the heart of our neighbourhood.

Of course for the Amwell Society, this is not the end of the matter. It is not even the beginning of the end, though it is surely the end of the beginning! We are thrilled about this development, which should secure public access to the site and bring many visitors to our area (and help to sustain the shops in Amwell Street and Arlington Way). We sincerely hope that the move will fulfil all HoI’s aspirations. And, as foreseen in the Planning Brief, we want to see the site used also to celebrate New River Head’s role in bringing clean water to London’s teeming population, an important factor in the City’s expansion in the 17the, 18th and 19th centuries. We look forward to engaging with HoI as their plans take shape.

Alain Head, a long-time former resident of the Amwell area and the architectural advisor to the society, gave an entertaining talk at the Annual General Meeting on May 14. His theme was architectural soup – and how the mix of different ingredients can often provide a satisfying unity.

To illustrate his different ‘soups’ we went on a whistle stop tour across much of the built-world to be surprised by the quirky additions, re-purposing and juxtapositions of buildings. Some surprising examples from places as diverse as Chicago and China, where new buildings are piled on top of the old ones to good effect.

Closer to home came his example of Greenwich power station with the Trinity Almshouses nestling beside it, and a reminder that the glorious size of the turbine hall at Tate Modern arises from the repurposing of Bankside power station.

In Clerkenwell he talked to the importance of how we renovate houses within a conservation area. Often a modern alternative may be more in keeping than a fake period replacement. Indeed, the late, great Lubetkin favoured the newest window technology over a strict facsimile during the 1980s refurbishment of his pioneering modernist Spa Green estate. Buildings move on and assimilate the changes brought by new technology.

In the midst of an April hail flurry members of the Amwell Society and the Lloyd Square gardeners met to plant a tree in memory of Liz Thornton who died in 2018.
The tree is a mountain ash, Sorbus Joseph Rock, which produces yellow berries and brilliant leaf colour in the Autumn. Liz was a previous secretary of the Amwell society, and for many years led the gardening at Lloyd Square.

In glorious summer weather the tenth Amwell street fete on Sunday Ist July was a roaring success with more stalls, events, musical variety and visitors than ever before – a tribute to the hard work of the organisers.

The Amwell society ran a window box competition, and had plenty of excellent entries.  Joanna Ward, Camilla Jenssen and Sally Hull snapped all the entries and there were generous donations of prizes from Brownings Garage, The Hairdressers and Ground Control.

First, second and third prizes went to David & Ella Nazar of 45 Wilmington Square, Bozana Vesilinoska of 32 Amwell Street and Geoffrey Thomas of 44 Great Percy Street respectively.  The communal entry was won by the residents of 15-19 Percy Circus.  Warm congratulations to all the winners.