One of my favourite things about the Centre being open is that we all get to do front of house shifts every so often. As a team lead mine are usually on weekends so I have the chance to see and chat to lots of different visitors: families, older people, students, tourists and more.
Saturday’s shift this week was split between the library on the ground floor of the Engine House and the welcome desk, which are my favourite places. Our Library was envisioned as an extension of your living room, where you can sit and read books, do some drawing and share stories – the day I saw a family come in, take their shoes off and get comfy on the carpet I was pretty sure we’d achieved it. The library is also the first space where you really encounter the industrial heart and heritage of the building, with the staircase going up through the old core, exposed brickwork behind the lift and visible evidence of the struts and anchors that supported the big steam engines. This building makes sense of the tram tracks in the shop and the smaller outbuildings that held the coal, and how the water from the Round Pond (now a block of very expensive flats) got up the hill to the large grassy knoll which hides a beautiful covered reservoir.
Often people will come in and as soon as you’ve greeted them they ask why it’s called the Engine House, or occasionally ‘what was this place?’. If you’re outside they ask about the Windmill Base, which is exactly what it sounds like – except not a mill but rather a pump, before steam came to the site. It really does bring out my inner history nerd and I’m not even sorry.
Today’s families included a group from Devon – the mum was an inclusion specialist so I got to talk about our approach to access which might turn into a zoom chat about what we’ve done. Another proud grandad from South Wales was killing time before he went to see his grandson play the guitar at his music school. We’re still so new that people are making their first visits – because they love Quentin Blake, because their friends had told them about it, because they’re illustrators, so many reasons. I love talking to them all, it reminds me exactly why we did it all in the first place.
We had more families joining us for a drop-in ‘Playing with the New River’ session with James and Eva from Play Build Play CIC – expert play co-designers who have already created our playbenches inspired by Quentin Blake’s illustrations, and who are finalising the loose parts play kit which will bring our Studio Garden to life. Inspired by the idea of a human-made river bringing water to London using the contours of the land, it’ll inspire children to build and create. Everythiing becomes playful in their sessions – cardboard boxes, chairs, kitchen furniture, thermal blankets, carpet underlay – and imagination does the rest. Families were also using the new Outdoor Explorer Kits with the trail designed by Toya Walker.
This week we also hosted our first teachers’ evening – A Sip and Sketch with our illustrator Grace Holliday. It led into the Centre’s first Illustrate Late as well, which changed the whole vibe of the cafe space with live music and illustration. Story time was all babies; no crafts in case of them eating the glue but lovely conversations and floor play with the cushions. Owl Babies was the book of the week.
Other things making me happy
- Nearly finishing the virus shawl
- Watching Say Anything with Thing 2. I love this film.
- Roy and Keeley in Ted Lasso. YES!
- Long phone conversations about not a lot
That’s it from me for the week – it’s been a fun one!
Kirsty x
What I’ve been reading:
A Court of Wings and Ruin – Sarah J. Maas (Audible)
On the move – Michael Rosen & Quentin Blake
High Street – J.M Richards & Eric Ravilious
A lot of absolute drivel
