The empty Grade II library at 11 Garratt Lane goes to WIP Space on a two-year lease, for at least 14 affordable artist studios. The first are due in 2027.

The old Wandsworth Town Library on Garratt Lane has a new tenant. WIP Space Studios, an artist-run studio group already based in Wandsworth Town, is taking on the empty building to turn it into at least 14 affordable artist studios.

Wandsworth Council announced the agreement on Thursday 8 October. WIP Space has a two-year lease, which the council calls “part of a phased approach with a view for a longer plan in the future”. (Wandsworth Council, 8 October 2026)

What is planned

The council says the building will be “gradually transformed” over the next two years. The plan is:

  • at least 14 affordable artist studios
  • a public exhibition space
  • a community space
  • live/work studios for artists

Only the studios are firm. The exhibition space, community space and live/work units all depend on funding and planning permission, the council says. Neither the council nor WIP Space has said what the studios will cost to rent.

WIP Space’s own website gives the first date. It says phase one of its new Wandsworth studios will open in spring to summer 2027, with applications “coming soon”. (WIP Space)

The building

Number 11 Garratt Lane was not built as a library. Historic England lists it as the Old County Court House, a mid-19th-century red brick building of three storeys, with round-headed windows on the ground floor and a bracketed cornice. It has been Grade II listed since 17 April 1975. (Historic England, list entry 1065530)

It stopped being a library when the new Wandsworth Town Library opened at 9 Courthouse Way, SW18, in early 2024. The new library opens Tuesday to Saturday.

Cabinet Member for Opportunity Lynsey Hedges said: “Many residents will have been curious to see what would happen to the former Wandsworth Library building. This is an exciting opportunity to support artists with much needed studio space and cement Wandsworth Town as a growing cultural hub.”

Who WIP Space are

WIP Space was founded by the artist Mark Nader, who says he set it up because London lacked long-term studio space for artists. Its first site is Wentworth House on Dormay Street, a Grade II listed Georgian house from the early 18th century, close to the old Ram Brewery. (WIP Space, about)

Wentworth House opened officially in 2024. WIP Space says it now has:

  • 17 studios
  • two live/work spaces
  • a gallery and a project space
  • an artist residency programme
  • a community meeting room that local groups can book

Garratt Lane will be its second Wandsworth site and its third in London. The other is in Wapping, with 13 studios. (WIP Space, studios)

Mark Nader said: “For many years, the library was a place where the community came to learn, gather and create. We’re delighted to give this much-loved building a new life as a home for artists, and a space that local people can visit, take part in and enjoy.”

What it means for you

  • If you are an artist looking for space: watch WIP Space’s website for the application window. It says phase one opens in spring to summer 2027.
  • If you live nearby: the exhibition and community space would be open to the public, but only if funding and planning permission come through. Any planning application for the listed building will appear on the council’s planning register.
  • If you used the old library: the service is at 9 Courthouse Way, SW18 4QG. Separately, Cabinet meets on Monday 12 October to agree tendering a new contract to run the borough’s libraries. Greenwich Leisure Limited has run them since 2013, and its current contract runs to March 2028. (Cabinet Paper 26-220)

Sources