This October the Heritage Network are hosting our next member networking event in Weaver’s Fields, East London. Join us by booking a ticket through Eventbrite now, and read on for five Heritage Network member sites worth adding to your to-visit list while you’re there.
Oxford House, Bethnal Green
Oxford House is a thriving creative and community space in Bethnal Green, which started life in the 1880s as one of London’s first ‘settlement’ houses. The House was situated amongst a dense neighbourhood of worker’s houses in an area known for its silk weaving industry. Student volunteers based at Oxford House provided support to local communities by organising working men’s clubs, labour exchanges, adult education courses and legal advice.
Today Oxford House is still a vital community hub, home to a theatre, dance studio, gallery, chapel, and office space – as well as a superb cafe and spectacular rooftop terrace. It’s also the host of our November Heritage Network networking event. Join us in Weaver’s Fields in October for a behind-the-scenes look at this special place.
South London Theatre Preservation Trust, West Norwood
Also a thriving creative and community space, South London Theatre Preservation Trust in West Norwood is another Heritage Network member well worth a visit. This remarkable building was first a Victorian fire station, built for horse-drawn firefighting teams, and still has its original doors, windows and watch tower in place.
The South London Theatre was founded in 1967, so has a rich heritage of its own, and operates as a member-owned club producing a huge number of shows each year. The SLT completed a major £2 million refurbishment project in 2018 to open the theatre to a wider audience, with support including funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players.
Covent Garden Playground, Central London
In the heart of London’s central theatre district, you’ll find the next Heritage Network member on our list, the Covent Garden playground. You might not know that Covent Garden is home to a historic playground, but nestled between theatres, office blocks, shops and hotels is a special green space which was planted and opened almost 150 years ago after a campaign led by the National Trust founder Octavia Hill. Now the Covent Garden playground is home to 150 plant species, as a result of a recent restoration and replanting scheme with more than 6000 plants introduced.
Princelet Street, Spitalfields Building Preservation Trust
Returning to the East End, another ‘hidden gem’ lies behind the door of 19 Princelet Street. Originally a Hugenot silk weaver’s home (similar to those once surrounding Oxford House just a few minutes away), the building was purchased by newly arrived Polish Jewish migrants in the 1860s, and a synagogue was added to the rear garden the following year. For more than 100 years the building served the local Jewish community before falling into disrepair – today it’s a precious example of a Spitalfields house which reflects the many lives of its diverse occupants.
The Spitalfields Building Preservation Trust are currently undertaking work to make the building more accessible to the public and secure its future. Hear more about their story at our networking event this October, where the Trust will be one of our panel speakers.
Crystal Palace Park, Invisible Palace
As part of our networking event in October, we’ll be including a special tour of the local area to explore some of the rich social history that makes Spitalfields and Bethnal Green such an important heritage landscape.
And if that leaves you wanting more, head south to Crystal Palace Park to enjoy the work of our Heritage Network members Invisible Palace. In the last few years, Invisible Palace have worked with local communities to uncover ‘hidden’ stories of the public park’s unusual and much-loved sculptures, including the famous Crystal Palace dinosaurs and ‘Stone Penge’. Explore the park with the help of their ‘Secrets of the Sculptures’ guide, and think about how walking and wheeling offers different perspectives (and benefits) on exploring the historic landscape.
Our next Heritage Network networking event takes place at Oxford House, Bethnal Green, on 21st October 2025. The event is open to members and non-members and we’d love to see you there (members can take advantage of reduced ticket prices – so do join the Heritage Network!).
