
Exploring and Uncovering Heritage
Alice Billing House is a historic former fireman’s accommodation building, situated behind Stratford Town Hall. It is made up of two blocks, one of which is Grade II listed. The building was named after Newham’s first famale sanitary inspectors and has had many different uses it was built 1905. As Grow Studio artists now make it their creative home and cultural hub, we work with Newham’s creative and local communities to delve into its history to find out what we can learn from its past.
We are excited to announce the forthcoming artist-in-residency of Beverley Sommerville, which will coincide with London Craft Week. 15 - 17 May 2025
On April 9th, we hosted a fun, family-friendly metal bashing and sculpture workshop that brought creativity and community spirit together.
We invite artists and creative practitioners to apply to be part of our artist-in-residency programme this Spring/Summer. This will be part of our Newham Heritage Month project, which focuses on the history of Alice Billing House.
On the 2nd of April, we had a community planting day. We planted our newly built planters with grasses, perennials, shrubs, bulbs, and herbs to improve the entrance courtyard and provide a space for the artists and visitors to enjoy.
On March 13th, we invited organisations and community members who have supported our journey in Stratford during our first year to join us in celebrating two significant milestones: the ‘big reveal’ of the Community Supper Cloth and the first anniversary of Alice Billing House’s operations.
Led by Mel from Stich School, this workshop was part of Women’s History Month celebrations in East London
Join us on Tuesday 28 January from 6pm at Grow in Hackney Wick for an evening exploring the outcomes of experimental project inspired by Alice Billing House- Speculative ReMemory.
In early December 2024, photographer Sylvie Belbouab visited the Renewal Programme initiative in Eastham to engage with the volunteers and staff to hear more about their stories and capture their portrait as they worked.
In November 2024, Naz went out into Newham to embark on short style interviews with local trailblazers and unsung heroes within the community using the prompt ‘what is your favourite memory of Newham’. The aim was to collect images and the lived experiences of people, documenting the unique perspectives of a broad range of individuals
Marilyn J Fontaine, an East London-based mixed-media artist who creates magical, intense and witty narratives with mystical overtones was Alice Billing House’s Artist-in-Residence to mark Black History Month 2024
This November, the Newham community was invited for a fun and creative day at Alice Billings House! At these hands-on workshop, people learned how to craft beautiful willow wreaths and stars from scratch, ready to add a touch of charm to their homes this festive season
In October, we were excited to welcome the founder of ‘Open Heart Clinic’, Yaa Addae, who is a writer, researcher, and participatory curator to facilitate a 2 part creative lab in response to themes surrounding the ongoing speculative archive project.
Monika is a Newham resident, Alice Billing House studio resident and professional photographer who specialises in modern portraiture where working with muses allows them to feel comfortable and empowered resulting in artistic imagery that makes a statement.
On Saturday 21 September 2024, Alice Billing House had its first Open Studios. We welcomed over 70 visitors who enjoyed perusing the studios or our resident artists as well as joining our community stitch project The Supper Cloth.
Over 3 weeks in September, we ran our community stitch art project, The Supper Cloth. A collaborative piece of embroidery art created by the residents of Newham.
On 23 August 2024, Ayebainemi Abieyuwa ése’s (they/them) held a somatic workshop that explored how our identities can displace us from our local surroundings and communities and how we can create tools of resistance that help us transmute that loss and grief.
Find out about the artist behind the new window panels in the North Block as well as the history and future plans of Alice Billing House.