When you are self-employed, where you choose to work is very important. Social engagement relieves some of the stresses of work, networking can open unexpected doors. I have tried working at home and hot desking in London's Silicon Roundabout. Since moving in to Iliffe Yard, South London I really feel I've found my perfect workspace.
Just off the Walworth Road in the London Borough of Southwark, Iliffe Yard is part of the the Pullens Estate comprising private & public housing surrounding three separate cobbled yards. With a strong sense of community, Iliffe Yard today is a dynamic environment for some of the best professional creative makers & designers working in London.
I first fell for the charm of the yard when I spotted the cobbled street and Victorian style workshops through the iron bars of the gates one weekend. Then there was the awesome Electric Elephant cafe serving home-cooked food with a smile and friendly chatter. This charm has found fame having been used in The King's Speech, TV Adverts and for regular photo shoots. This has lead to a bizarre yet brilliant meeting with my doppelganger from The Hairy Bikers:
Iliffe Yard contains the workspaces of architects, ceramists, cleaning companies, community arts workshops, computer engineers, fashion designers & makers, filmmakers, graphic artists, jewellers, letterpress typographers, lighting engineers, lithographers, glassworkers, painters, potters, photographers, printmakers, sculptors, set designers & makers, shoe designers & makers, structural design engineers, video artists, web-designers and a great cafe.
The eclectic mix of neighbours was one of the big draws for me when I first stumbled upon Iliffe Yard. I've found lots of London's clusters that people are talking about. As people start out on their own, little clusters emerge with a mix of makers, natural entrepreneurs and often rich bankers following up lifestyle epiphanies. My ambition is to work on projects where technology overlaps art - Iliffe Yard's occupants were the neighbours I wanted and I hope the cluster for me and my business Chanza Chanzo. The personality of the yard helps smooth the ups and downs of self-employment and provides light relief of a very social and occasionally bizarre nature. It is my kind of workspace.
If you're intrigued by The Pullens Yards, Open Studios events are held every June and December - the next is on 13-15 June 2014.
Pullens Yards Open Studios |
Just off the Walworth Road in the London Borough of Southwark, Iliffe Yard is part of the the Pullens Estate comprising private & public housing surrounding three separate cobbled yards. With a strong sense of community, Iliffe Yard today is a dynamic environment for some of the best professional creative makers & designers working in London.
I first fell for the charm of the yard when I spotted the cobbled street and Victorian style workshops through the iron bars of the gates one weekend. Then there was the awesome Electric Elephant cafe serving home-cooked food with a smile and friendly chatter. This charm has found fame having been used in The King's Speech, TV Adverts and for regular photo shoots. This has lead to a bizarre yet brilliant meeting with my doppelganger from The Hairy Bikers:
Iliffe Yard contains the workspaces of architects, ceramists, cleaning companies, community arts workshops, computer engineers, fashion designers & makers, filmmakers, graphic artists, jewellers, letterpress typographers, lighting engineers, lithographers, glassworkers, painters, potters, photographers, printmakers, sculptors, set designers & makers, shoe designers & makers, structural design engineers, video artists, web-designers and a great cafe.
If you're intrigued by The Pullens Yards, Open Studios events are held every June and December - the next is on 13-15 June 2014.
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