SPID Theatre At Kensal House Reopens Its Doors With Open House Festival Refurbishment

SPID Theatre (Social Progressive Interconnected Diverse) celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and marks the refurbishment of its base at North Kensington’s Kensal House. SPID's newly renovated base is open to the public as part of Open House Festival on Sunday 21 September.

The award-winning charity shares a landlord with Grenfell Tower and believes that justice is the public face of love. SPID worked with residents to make the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea bring the whole of historic Kensal House up to standard - evidencing leaks, floods and mould in their Class Action film. SPID are proud to have secured hundreds of thousands from RBKC to fund future youth work, pay for capital improvements and restore the neglected, historic estate that has been their home since 2005.

Kensal House, designed in the 1930s by Maxwell Fry and Elizabeth Denby, is a landmark in social housing. Central to this Grade-II* listed building is the community room, fostering social interaction among residents. Kensal House was one of the first council estates to be built in London and helped to champion the birth of the Welfare State. Now that more than 100 London estates are currently earmarked for demolition, its role is more important than ever. The community rooms house SPID's living history projects, documenting the heritage of local estates such as Grenfell and Trellick. The space has been registered as a community asset because of the programme of free arts, heritage and community activities that SPID runs from their base.

SPID worked with Studio Sam Causer to refurbish its base to make it both fit for modern use and an embodiment of the modernist vision shared by architects Maxwell Fry and social reformer Elizabeth Denby. The refurbishment is shortlisted for a prestigious MacEwan Award for its groundbreaking new lift, sloping corridor and restoration works that pioneer accessibility for heritage.