Buckley Gray Yeoman is delighted to unveil a new cultural building - Cromwell Place - a one of a kind, global arts destination and membership organisation located in the heart of South Kensington.  

Buckley Gray Yeoman has created a new, contemporary gallery building that will not only house some of the world's most exciting art but is an exhibit in itself. The practice’s simultaneous conversion of the adjacent Grade II-listed terrace at 1-5 Cromwell Place successfully reimagines the historic interiors as a series of spaces ideally suited to cater to the needs of contemporary art galleries. A series of underground art storage facilities will allow the gallery’s unique hub model to operate across the arts calendar.  

Set back within a public courtyard, the creation of a new pavilion building will create the largest of Cromwell Place's galleries. A saw-tooth roof punctuated with north lights sits above 143m2 of column-free space with floor-to-ceiling heights of up to 4.6 metres to create a world-class display area for major exhibitions. It comprises a carefully detailed lightweight steel frame, intricately clad, to form a bespoke profile over an open plan ground floor gallery area. Overlooked from all angles, the roof is effectively the fifth elevation of the building. Its hipped roof-lights allow north light into the galleries below, and the whole volume is clad in blackened stainless steel with a textured finish.  

Through delicate restoration, Cromwell Place also sees the creation of 14 gallery spaces that have been individually renewed to maintain the personality and integrity of the original Victorian rooms, yet discreetly modified to suit the anticipated needs of Cromwell Place's members. With interconnected rooms, tall windows, high ceilings and modulated natural light, the individual gallery spaces required sensitive intervention from Buckley Gray Yeoman to convert them for contemporary use. A series of discreet, fully-glazed link bridges to the rear of the existing closet wings of no. 2 and 4 Cromwell Place create a link between new-build and period gallery spaces and allow for the sufficient circulation of visitors around the building, whilst providing views down onto the sculptural shape of the adjacent pavilion roof. 

As specialists in working with challenging, existing buildings and renowned for sensitive, thorough and authentic work, Buckley Gray Yeoman were uniquely positioned to bring the Cromwell Place concept to life, combining the rich heritage of the building with a contemporary gallery space. Much of the design of the building draws on inspiration from the celebrated British painter Sir John Lavery, who originally occupied 5 Cromwell Place. The designs are sensitive to this heritage and many of the outstanding period features including original staircases with ironwork balustrades, curled timber handrails, original fireplaces, cornicing and ceiling roses have been lovingly restored to create a unique building that meets the demands of members from all disciplines. 

Alongside the public exhibition spaces, Buckley Gray Yeoman has incorporated a secure, international-standard climate-controlled storage facility, administrative areas, and private viewing rooms to allow for discreet meetings between galleries and collectors. The storage, packing, shipping and logistical facilities are a unique feature of Cromwell Place, and the only resource of its kind in central London.  

Paul White, Founding Director at Buckley Gray Yeoman:  

“Cromwell Place is a hugely exciting gallery concept and will contribute significantly to South Kensington’s international reputation as one of London’s most successful cultural quarters. As designers, we were challenged to marry the heritage of the Grade II-listed building with the demands of a contemporary art space and we are extremely happy with the finished gallery spaces. Architecturally, the project demonstrates a significant intervention with a new pavilion gallery alongside a series of gallery spaces within five Grade-II listed buildings which we sensitively restored.”