Newham Council has secured £2.7m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to transform Canning Town Old Library into Newham Heritage Centre, reopening it as a vibrant cultural and community hub.
Newham Council has been awarded a £2,702,022 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to complete the transformation of the Grade II-listed Canning Town Old Library into Newham Heritage Centre.
This project will see this much-loved building, with deep social and working-class ties to east London and beyond, come back into community use.
Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Mayor of Newham, said: "In Newham, we believe that heritage is not a relic of the past, but a living foundation for our future. The transformation of Canning Town Old Library into the new Newham Heritage Centre is a crowning achievement in our Building Newham’s Creative Future strategy. This project is a powerful example of how we have pulled together significant investment to deliver for our residents. By combining a £2.7 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund with the foundational £6.2 million of the £40 million we secured from the government, we are breathing new life into a Grade II-listed historic landmark. This investment ensures that our history and proud legacy of grassroots activism, diverse working-class ingenuity, anti-racist and human rights campaigning belongs to everyone.”
With funding from Heritage Fund, as well as significant funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and others, the building will become Newham Heritage Centre, the new home of the Council’s historic collections and a dynamic programme of cultural activities for all.
Stuart McLeod, Director of England - London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we are delighted to support Newham Council in bringing the much-loved Canning Town Old Library back to life for the people of Newham. This project will unlock Newham’s extraordinary heritage stories, giving people new ways to explore the borough’s rich history and inspiring pride in the place they call home. The Newham Heritage Centre will be a vibrant space that not only safeguards important collections but also ensures that local people and future generations can connect and celebrate the diverse heritage that makes Newham so special.”
Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE added: “We are not just preserving the past; we are presenting this Centre as a cultural heritage hub for the past, present and future. We’ll be using technology to bring our history to life through imaginative programmes. Crucially, this will create high-value skill opportunities for our residents to learn digital skills and tech-driven storytelling, pathways we have already successfully pioneered through our Data Ambassadors and Cultural Producers programmes, which have equipped hundreds of our young people with the tools to thrive in a digital world.
“Combined with our work at East Bank, the Royal Docks, and the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, we are firmly establishing Newham as a world-class cultural destination. Backed by our Growth Plan, this Centre demonstrates our commitment to financial sustainability by turning historic assets into productive, tech-forward hubs of learning for our residents and visitors. We are connecting our diverse communities to their shared history while providing the digital skills our residents need to lead the next chapter of preserving the Newham story.
The grant will transform access to Newham’s archive, which contains over 400,000 items reflecting 600 years of local history. Highlights include 30,000 photographs documenting life and change in the borough, and material reflecting Newham’s rich history of grassroots activism, trade unionism and Newham’s ties to women’s rights, anti-racism and LGBTQ+ movements. Associations with well-known historic figures including the founder of the GMB trade union, Will Thorne and social reformer Elizabeth Fry will be explored, alongside showcasing the role our diverse communities have played in shaping Newham.”
The project will also see Newham’s museum collection go on display for the first time in over 30 years in a dynamic exhibition programme. This collection consists of thousands of objects covering major global events, industry, political change, art, and everyday life in Newham, from the Stone Age to the present day. This collection vividly illustrates working-class life and experiences in east London, connecting residents’ stories past and present. Collaborations with local communities will see these objects curated and interpreted through new exhibitions, creative commissions and programming, with accessibility embedded in this work. Alongside this, a new contemporary collecting programme will expand and diversify our collections.
Working with residents, local artists and education partners, Newham Heritage Centre will see the delivery of an ambitious programme of activities including paid-traineeships, artist residencies, volunteering, and learning programmes, with a particular focus on creating opportunities for Newham’s young people. New films, community-made artworks, and digital projects will enable residents of all ages to explore their creativity, and support skill building and cultural leadership.
