Blog

1) A Historic Building with a Rich Past

Jacksons Lane wasn’t always an Arts Centre, it was originally built as the Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1905. It officially opened as a community centre with a big street party in March 1975. Crowds were drawn in by a leaflet featuring a giant puppet pointing to the church re-designed as a rocket, and a caption saying:

“This place is taking off”.

Devastatingly, we don’t think we have a copy of this leaflet… There will be a cash reward for anyone who has any information on its whereabouts!

2) Politician and former deputy mayor of London Nicky Gavron was one of our founders

Nicky Gavron was a key driving force behind Jacksons Lane. She was the first to discover that the derelict Methodist church was being used by local teenagers at a time when there was no dedicated community space for young people. Recognising the need, Nicky and a group of volunteers launched a campaign to transform the abandoned church into what is now Jacksons Lane. Without her passion, commitment, and remarkable ability to bring people together, Jacksons Lane simply wouldn’t exist today.

3) Commitment to Community Engagement

Jacksons Lane has always been shaped by its community. Founded through activism, it was run entirely by volunteers for years — driven by passion, not pay. It wasn’t until 1977 that the first paid role, a part-time caretaker, was introduced.

From those grassroots beginnings to today, our commitment to creativity and connection remains at the heart of everything we do.

4) 50 years of Christmas at Jacksons Lane

On 25^th December 1975 Jacksons Lane’s threw its first ever Volunteer run Christmas lunch for local older adults – which has continued every single year since…

…that’s right, not even Covid stopped us! We took Xmas day on the road with hand delivered hampers spreading Christmas cheer one visit at a time.

Last month, we hosted our 50^th Christmas Day celebration. There were guests in attendance in 2024 who had volunteered at that first ever one. What an incredible community we have.

5) Versatile Performance Spaces

After many years of fundraising, Jacksons Lane embarked on its first capital project in the 1980s. Led by architect Tim Ronalds, the transformation officially converted the former church into an arts centre, featuring a fully equipped theatre in the old church hall and schoolroom. The theatre’s design earned a RIBA Community Enterprise award. Jacksons Lane was Tim Ronalds’ first theatre project, and he later designed other iconic spaces like The National Centre for Circus Arts and the Hackney Empire.

6) The UK’s Circus Arts Hotspot

What makes Jacksons Lane especially unique as an arts centre is its focus on circus. From acrobatics to aerial silks, we’ve gained international recognition for nurturing and showcasing circus talent.

Since opening in 1975, circus, dance, physical theatre, and puppetry have been central to our identity. In fact, Puppet Tree Theatre was one of our founding groups—especially handy on our opening weekend when giant puppets guided locals up Archway Road!

Tall ceilings, timber framing, different levels, large windows, our building is the perfect playground for circus artists.

7) A Hub for Emerging Artists

Not only has Jacksons Lane hosted established acts like Sir Ian McKellen, Micky Flanagan, Eddie Izzard, Alan Carr, and Simon Amstell, we’ve also acted as a launchpad for emerging companies such as The Mighty Boosh, Complicite, Out of Joint and Paines Plough.

8) Educational and Training Opportunities

Teachers of all sorts of arts and skills make use of our building to host activities. You can literally spend hours browsing our old programmes reading about the different array of classes held here over the years, from ‘Fitness for the Retired’ in the 70s, ‘Traditional Indian dancing’ in the 80s, ‘African drumming’ in the 90s, ‘Flamenco’ in the 2000s and ‘Women’s self-defense’ in the 2010s (which is still going today) – just think of the fun, passion, laughs, connection and skills developed in our walls. Feeling inspired? Check out our website for classes you can sign up to, today!

9) Programming for Everyone

Jacksons Lane offers a fantastic range of family-friendly events and performances. From circus shows to interactive theatre productions, there’s always something for younger and older audiences to enjoy together.

Of course, kid’s entertainers can get a bit over-excited, in 2012 we hosted Stuff and Nonsense’s The Enormous Turnip for Christmas which saw the cast cycling a gigantic turnip down the Archway Road with the audience following!

And that is something we said yes to, if you fancy a laugh grab a member of staff and pick their brains for all the wonderfully mad ideas we’ve had to turn down over the years.

10) A Sustainable Arts Centre

We are continually focussed on reducing the impact our theatre has on the environment, which is one of the key aims of our 50^th anniversary heritage funding.

As part of our heritage programme, we will begin phase 1 of our theatre lighting sustainability project, which will start the retrofit of LED lights in the theatre.

Making a early 20^th century Methodist Church sustainable is no easy feat – and although we’ve come on leaps and bounds, jumpers are still advisable in the studio spaces during the colder months. Stained glass was designed for beauty, not comfort, ya’ll…