The UK’s first dedicated centre for illustration has sparked a backlash from neighbours who fear it will disturb the privacy of their peaceful shared garden.
By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter
The UK’s first dedicated centre for illustration has sparked a backlash from neighbours who fear it will disturb the privacy of their peaceful shared garden.
Works are currently under way to transform a Grade II listed waterworks in Islington into the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, formerly based in Camden under a different name. The £12.5m institution is slated to open its three galleries in May, offering exhibitions, events, workshops and residencies with a “strong focus” on marginalised voices. The historic building will also feature a new café.
Sir Quentin, most famous for his illustrations of Roald Dahl’s beloved stories, has said this will realise his long-held dream for a “permanent place with Illustration above the door”.
But residents living nearby say the organisers have rowed back on promises to protect their “urban canyon”, which sits behind the 18th century engine house. They have written to Sir Quentin in the hope of reaching a compromise.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), psychotherapist Max West said she and others were “sold the idea” of a daytime centre that would only be open from Wednesdays to Sundays. She and other locals have told the council they are concerned by a “creeping extension of hours”.
The centre has filed a Section 73 application so it can host community and training events on Mondays and Tuesdays, and put on 22 “education and participation” events throughout the year.
While the venue is currently allowed to host up to 24 private hire events a year between 6pm and 10.30pm, the managers do not want the daytime events held on Mondays and Tuesdays to count towards this cap. The centre insists this does not mean it will stay open until 10.30pm every day.
But all of this has stoked the neighbours’ anxieties about the impact on their shared garden, an “incredible oasis” they adore for its “tranquillity and respite”.
Ms West said: “People are going to be able to gawk at us the whole time. We will have no privacy visually, and we will be hearing absolutely everything: diners talking, clinking their glasses.”
The group feels the centre’s communication with residents over the changes has also been poor. “There’s absolutely no respect being shown for our amenity, these gardens,” Ms West added.
Neighbour Margot Richardson said the fundraisers may “sound innocuous” but will involve large donors drinking alcohol and making noise on the patio. She added: “We’ve been so supportive of it being a community centre. Why would you not?”
The group of residents have launched a petition calling on the council to reject the application.
Speaking to the LDRS, a spokesperson for the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration said they took the local community’s concerns seriously.
“We have been working with and updating the community since 2019 throughout the process of turning the derelict New River Head waterworks into the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration and we continue to do so.
“We are conscious of the centre’s residential location and we are deeply committed to both minimising negative impact and making the centre a positive, valued amenity as a visual arts gallery for the local community.
“We understand that there has been some concern over our recent licensing and Section 73 applications. We do not consider the applications to constitute a significant increase in commercial activity, and we can confirm that we will not be able to operate daily until 10.30pm. We have also reassured the local community that there are restrictions in place on the use of music and frequency of events.”
The LDRS understands the application is scheduled to go before Islington’s Licensing Committee on March 24, 2026.
Sir Quentin founded a charity for illustration in 2002. The House of Illustration was based in King’s Cross from 2014 to 2020.
