One of Clerkenwell’s most historic sites has begun a new chapter as the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration opens its doors at New River Head.
By Surya Anthony
One of Clerkenwell’s most historic sites has begun a new chapter as the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration opens its doors at New River Head.
The newly opened centre transforms the former waterworks site into a public space dedicated to illustration, featuring galleries, a free library, café, shop, outdoor spaces and a programme of exhibitions, workshops and events.
For Lindsay Glen, director of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, the success of the project is already being measured by the people using it.
“It’s been really great,” she said. “It’s been so lovely having people coming in and telling us what they think.
“We had some families in, we had our first school group in the other week and it’s just great seeing how young people are using the space and people of all ages are using the space.”
The opening marks a significant new use for New River Head, a site whose history stretches back more than 400 years. The area formed the terminus of the New River, the ambitious water supply project that brought fresh water from Hertfordshire into London in the early 17th century.
Today, traces of that history remain throughout the site, which sits between Amwell Street and Myddelton Passage.
Glen said the Centre’s trustees had initially discovered the location while searching for a permanent home that could accommodate the charity’s growing activities.
“We came across it slightly by chance,” she said. “It’s the perfect site for us because it has lots of different spaces. It’s got outdoor space and indoor space, but it’s also full of stories.
“What illustration is brilliant at is telling stories.”
That connection between place and storytelling runs throughout the Centre.
Quentin Blake, one of Britain’s most celebrated illustrators and the Centre’s namesake, has created a five-metre mural especially for the site. Titled A Bridge to the Past, the work tells the story of the New River while also reflecting the way illustration connects past, present and future.
Although Blake, now 93, was not onsite when we were there, he recently visited the completed centre.
“Quentin came to visit us and we were able to show him around all of the different spaces,” Glen said.
“He’s still drawing every single day and he was absolutely thrilled to see this lifelong dream come to life.”
Alongside a permanent exhibition celebrating Blake’s work, visitors can explore a range of contemporary exhibitions showcasing the breadth of illustration today.
Current displays include Queer as Comics, which explores comics, strip cartoons, graphic novels and zines that have represented LGBTQIA+ perspectives since the 1940s, and a major exhibition by artist-in-residence MURUGIAH.
Known for his vibrant, psychedelic visual style, MURUGIAH’s exhibition spans sculpture, paintings, posters, commercial commissions and personal work, demonstrating how illustration increasingly moves between publishing, design, public art and popular culture.
Among the works on display is artwork created for Faber’s edition of George Orwell’s *Nineteen Eighty-Four*; a fitting connection given the publisher’s long-standing EC1 presence.
The exhibition also highlights projects rooted in collaboration and community. One piece, titled “Compassion” which was created for Refugee Week, emerged from workshops with young refugees exploring the theme of compassion before being transformed into a public campaign. The artwork later appeared on London’s South Bank and was screened on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival.
Speaking to the Echo, MURUGIAH said such projects demonstrate the power of illustration to connect people through shared stories and experiences.
“People want reinterpretations of their art,” he said. “They welcome it. You’re doing it from a point of love and celebration and enjoyment.”
While the exhibitions may draw visitors from across London and beyond, the appeal of the new centre extends far beyond any single show.
The free library invites visitors to browse and read on site, while the café, shop and gardens encourage people to linger. Future programming will include family activities and festivals, continuing the site’s transformation from historic infrastructure into a public cultural destination.
Four centuries after helping bring water into London, New River Head is now carrying something different through Clerkenwell: stories.
Check out our Instagram feed for the interview with Lindsay Glen, and more of MURUGIAH’s amazing illustrations.
