Housed in a Grade-II-Listed former Methodist church in the lofty heart of Highgate, Jacksons Lane has been a much-loved London performance space, a hub for the local community, and a leading centre in contemporary circus arts for decades. Now, a comprehensive refurbishment and reconfiguration by cultural space specialists Citizens Design Bureau has given it the momentum to ensure it survives and thrives for decades more.
The case for retrofit
First developed as an arts centre in the 1980s following a stint as a community sports centre, Jacksons Lane’s interiors had become dated and worn, its layouts no longer suited the way the community was using the building. With more than 20 different levels in the venue, accessibility was compromised both internally and externally; studios were suboptimally shaped and offset from the historic stone structure of the nave such that key spaces were interrupted with columns. Acoustic separation was limited and some of the grandest historic spaces had become corridors and stores, while foyers were cramped.
Although an important centre of the local community and nationally admired as a venue – especially in circus and dance circles – Jacksons Lane was in clear need of a thoughtful and sensitive retrofit. Award-winning architects and interior designers Citizens Design Bureau, jumped at the chance, winning the opportunity to deliver the £4.6 million project.
“We love the work that Jacksons Lane supports – and its ethos – but we also felt that there was huge potential in the building. Sometimes you find a project for which you know you can make a big difference.”
– Katy Marks, founder, Citizens Design Bureau
Now that the work is complete, the size of that difference is clear. Jacksons Lane has not only been transformed technically – improving acoustics, accessibility, energy performance, and adding new rehearsal, performance and event spaces – it has also been aesthetically reinvented. The new centre is warm, engaging, contemporary and playful; the kind of venue it is a pleasure to hang out in, whether you’re attending a performance, taking part in a rehearsal, or simply popping in for coffee and cake.
Retrofit for the future
The renovation follows an extensive period of research and public consultation, in which Citizens Design Bureau assessed the functional and operational constraints of the existing layout. The pandemic coincided with the beginning of the project, creating significant obstacles to funding and timescales, but also helping shape the practice’s thinking about how the building would be used in a post-Covid world, when the benefits of community togetherness, physical activity, and social connection would be more important than ever.
Having secured one of only a handful of large Capital Grants from the Arts Council in London since 2016, Citizens Design Bureau were able to deliver a comprehensive programme of renovation that not only brought the building into the modern day, it also created additional revenue opportunities for the future. These include an expanded and updated café bar and new, hireable studio spaces for circus arts, dance, children’s activities, podcasting, digital content creation, and more.
Uncovering the building’s history
While exterior work concentrated on essential conversation repairs, internally, the venue was extensively reconfigured, restoring many of the original church structures that had been previously obscured or confused by more recent architectural interventions. The ‘old bones’ of the building have been returned to prominence.
Changes to the main auditorium have increased seating volume while decluttering the space. The former church transept – a dramatic, double-height space previously used as a chair store – now houses studio spaces. The concrete floor added in the ’70s to split the nave into two levels has been retained, enhanced by the addition of expansive acoustic windows that allow the full width of the transept to be appreciated and offer views down into the double-height studios below.
