A long-awaited vision for Windrush Square is gathering pace, as plans to convert the derelict former public toilets, closed for decades, into a dynamic new arts bar take a significant step forward.
At a recent meeting of the Windrush Square Arts Bar Working Group, held at Squire & Partners’ Ferndale Road headquarters, Ros Griffiths, chair of Friends of Windrush Square and of the working group, described a key discussion with Lambeth council’s chief executive Ian Davis as “positive and productive”.
According to Griffiths, the meeting confirmed “strong shared support for the project and its contribution to the long-term enhancement of Windrush Square,” reinforcing growing momentum behind the transformation.
The conversation explored the next formal steps needed to bring the arts bar to life, including navigating the permissions required under the historic Rush Common Act of 1806.
Alongside this, the group discussed ongoing communication with the council, vital design and feasibility studies, and practical measures focused on “designing out crime” to ensure the future space is vibrant, safe, and inclusive.
The working group also set its sights on producing regular public updates, mapping out funding opportunities, and anchoring the Arts Bar vision within a broader cultural programme for Windrush Square.
Representatives from the Metropolitan Police and the Black Cultural Archives joined the meeting, reflecting the project’s emphasis on community partnership and shared stewardship of one of Brixton’s most important civic spaces. Brixton Media CIC, publisher of the Brixton Blogand Bugle, also takes part in the group.
Griffiths emphasised that the project is about more than bricks and mortar. “This isn’t just about fixing up toilets,” she said. “It’s about driving cultural change”.
She added that the team is committed to preserving the full, sometimes difficult, history of the building, including its use by sex workers, ensuring that the new space acknowledges its past while opening the door to a creative, community-led future.
As conversations progress and support deepens, the transformation of the forgotten toilets on Windrush Square is edging closer to becoming a landmark cultural destination for Brixton.
