News Historic Harrow Arts Centre lands £630K boost for major makeover

• Harrow Arts Centre gets major investment to improve creative facilities
• 630,014 has been awarded from the Creative Foundations Fund
• The historic Rayners building will go through restoration and refurbishment

Harrow’s iconic arts centre has secured £630,014 to restore the historic curtilage listed Rayners Building. The Creative Foundations Fund award means Harrow Arts Centre (HAC) can carry out essential restoration works to one of its longest standing buildings. 

The Rayners building originally served as a workshop when the site in Hatch End opened as a school in 1904. The restoration will see the building fully refurbished, ensuring it can continue to support a wide range of creative activity for years to come.

Cllr Janet Mote, Cabinet Member for Community and Culture said: 

“I know how much our residents value and love using Harrow Arts Centre. I’m so pleased that we’ve been awarded this funding which will help restore the Rayners Building which will offer an upgraded creative space for locals.

The centre is a key hub that brings people and communities together. This funding is an investment for our heritage and our future bringing benefits to the local community for years to come.”

As part of the project, improvements will also be made to the building’s energy efficiency including insulation, double-glazed windows, improved roof lights, external doors and heating and lighting systems. These upgrades will help protect the historic fabric of the building while supporting the council’s London Borough of Harrow’s Climate Strategy. 

The funding is supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Arts Council England and part of a national investment in cultural infrastructure across England. Harrow Arts Centre is one of sixteen London venues to receive this funding. 

The project focuses on protecting and investing in Harrow’s cultural infrastructure to ensure communities can continue to access high quality, diverse cultural work. The project is also one of the ways we’re continuing to restore pride in Harrow. 

The £127.8 million Creative Foundations Fund forms part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sports’ wider Arts Everywhere Fund, a bumper £1.5 billion package designed to support cultural infrastructure and improve access to arts and culture across the country.

A full list of all cultural venues, museums and libraries receiving funding is available online.