Proud Places Hub opens in the City, creating new opportunities for young Londoners

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We are delighted to have opened the Proud Places Hub, a dedicated creative and heritage learning space for young people at One Golden Lane in the City of London.

Developed in partnership with Castleforge and Futurecity, the Hub provides a permanent workshop home for our Proud Places programme and creates an exciting new base for workshops, careers activities, exhibitions, talks and public events.

The opening marks an important milestone for Proud Places. Since launching the programme in 2020 with support from the Jones Day Foundation, we have worked with more than 12,000 young Londoners, connecting them with heritage restoration projects, conservation skills, creative learning opportunities and career pathways, alongside our Proud Prospects careers programme.

The Proud Places Hub is the next step in that journey. Situated within the historic former Cripplegate Institute building, it gives us a purpose-designed space for the programme.

Located in the heart of the City, the Hub will bring young people together with businesses, professionals and mentors who can help them explore career pathways in heritage, design, architecture and the creative industries. Volunteers from City firms will support workshops, events and skills development opportunities throughout the year.

The opening celebration also highlighted the remarkable history of the building itself. More than 500 years ago, the original Cripplegate Foundation was established to support some of London's poorest residents. The Cripplegate Institute later became a centre for learning, education and opportunity. Today, thanks to the generosity of Castleforge, that philanthropic legacy continues through the creation of the Hub.

The Hub opens at a critical time. With nearly one million young people aged 16 to 24 currently not in education, employment or training across the UK, we believe it is more important than ever to provide opportunities that build skills, confidence and ambition. Through Proud Places, we use heritage as a springboard for engagement, helping young people discover new interests, develop valuable skills and connect with future careers.

We were thrilled that Phil Bowen, Chair of the Youth Justice Board, highlighted the social impact of the Proud Places programme at the event. Speaking of creating a pro-social identity for young people, he said: “We know children thrive when they feel they belong somewhere. 
We know that trusted relationships, often with an adult matter, and we know that meaningful activity, responsibility, achievement, hope, could change the direction of their lives. And so the gap is often not about between ignorance and knowledge. It's about knowing what works and doing what works. This Hub is quietly closing that gap.”

We would like to thank everyone who helped make the Proud Places Hub possible, particularly Michael Kovacs and the team at Castleforge; George Kekatos and colleagues at Futurecity; John Phillips and the Jones Day Foundation; Sarah Mangan from the Barbican; David and Molly Lowell Borthwick; Imago Interiors; artist Coralie Turpin; Brixton Radio who delivered a DJ set at the event, and the many volunteers, partners and supporters who have helped us grow Proud Places over the last six years.

Most importantly, we look forward to welcoming young Londoners through the doors of the Proud Places Hub and seeing the creativity, talent and ambition they bring with them. This is a space for them: a place to imagine new possibilities for the future.

Byron has a new home

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London's Lord Byron memorial has been rescued from a traffic island, restored, relocated, and returned to public view.

Together with the Byron Society, we have unveiled the restored Lord Byron statue in its new home in Hyde Park, marking the culmination of a major conservation and relocation project. This is the only public statue of Lord Byron in England, and it can now be enjoyed by everyone once more at an easily accessible spot near Hyde Park's Victoria Gate.

We are proud to have supported the restoration spearheaded by the Byron Society, and made possible by a generous grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and support from Byron enthusiasts all over the world, including the family of Byron’s publisher, John Murray.

The statue was unveiled by HRH The Duke of Gloucester, Patron of Heritage of London Trust, who spoke at the event alongside Greek Ambassador Yannis Tsaousis - a fitting reminder of Byron's enduring significance to both Britain and Greece. Baroness Twycross, Minister for Heritage, and Lord Parkinson, her predecessor in Government, also attended the event.

Dr Nicola Stacey, Director of the Heritage of London Trust, said: "There's really nothing more satisfying than rescuing a famous London landmark from the very beginning - to see it restored, to learn about Lord Byron, to reflect on his legacy, and then have it relocated and opened to the public for anyone to access."

Lord Byron, President of the Byron Society, said: "Our sincere hope is that the statue will encourage people to explore Byron's poetry and also his letters, which are so accessible and give a brilliant insight into his engaging personality and fascinating inner life."

George Gordon Byron is regarded as one of the greatest poets in the English language and one of the most famous men of his age. A Romantic poet and satirist, he captured imaginations worldwide through his poetry, his personality, and ultimately his death fighting for Greek independence. His works, from 'Childe Harold's Pilgrimage' to 'Don Juan', remain widely studied and quoted today, and he has endured as a symbol of liberty - a scandalous figure in his own time who later became an icon for wider movements. He supported Italian and Greek fights for freedom. In Greece he is still honoured as a folk hero, with 19 April marked as a national holiday.

Through our Proud Places programme, supported by the Jones Day Foundation, we have introduced 700 young people from across London to Byron’s legacy. We also organised a poetry competition for Year 8 students at Sacred Heart High School in Hammersmith. The winner, Bea Macaraeg, read her poem to the guests at the unveiling.

Lord Byron now sits - book in hand, his dog Boatswain at his side - at an open, easily accessible spot at the top of West Carriage Drive, between Buckhill Playground and Victoria Gate in Hyde Park, W2 2UH.

Watch the restoration documentary at byronmemorialstatue.com.

Generations sculpture restored

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We are delighted to have unveiled another wonderful piece of London’s post-war public art

 ‘Generations’ by sculptor Geoffrey Harris (1963) has returned to Camden’s Maitland Park Estate.

The sculpture was commissioned by the London County Council as part of its 'Patronage of the Arts' scheme (1956 - 1964), an initiative to bring communities together after the trauma of the Second World War. 

Designed to sit at the entrance of the newly created estate, ‘Generations’ depicts four abstract figures representing family unity and opportunity across different stages of life. The work reflected the LCC’s aim of creating places where residents of all ages could live, connect and thrive.

The sculpture had been in poor repair with holes, graffiti and no information about the artist or the commission. Restoration work was by Taylor Pearce Conservation and we have included a new interpretation panel telling the story of the sculpture and its artist.

Local resident Beth Shaw, who had lived in on the estate since 1978, said: “It was looking in a bit of trouble for a while, and last year they took it away leaving just a concrete plinth. I was delighted to hear it was being restored back to how I remember it all those years ago.”

The project has also reunited the artwork with Harris’s family. His son Chris Harris saw the sculpture for the first time this year: “To see what it means to local people is amazing! … Geoffrey would have been so proud to see his work hadn't been lost or forgotten and I'm very grateful it still has relevance today.”

Local school children were involved in the restoration work as part of the Proud Places programme.

A special thanks to Imago Interiors who generously supported this project and also spent time with the local community during works, and to Camden Council for their support.

HOLT has now restored six LCC ‘Patronage of the Arts scheme’ projects and has another six on the way!

See more in the press here.