Pushkin House

Originally set up as the Pushkin Club in 1954 in Kensington Park Gardens, it started as a place for young scholars of Russian roots and Russian enthusiasts led by Maria Kullmann. Maria’s husband Gustave Kullmann was a distinguished Swiss lawyer who worked with the League of Nations and whose last appointment was that of Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees. Kullmann’s house attracted many remarkable guests of different nationalities, and she also offered a few affordable rooms for students.

Pushkin Club moved in 1956 to Ladbroke Grove where it became known as Pushkin house, before moving to 5a Bloomsbury Square in the 2000s. The building was designed by Henry Flitcroft in 1744.

Today it is a venue for exhibitions, talks, concerts and film screenings which has responded to the multifaceted cultural landscape we now operate in by evolving beyond its original geographic scope. Pushkin House works with international artists, creatives, writers, philosophers and researchers to build on its founding principles and make it an inclusive and open-minded platform for cultural exploration.

Kullmann and her peers believed that informal friendly meetings between young people from different countries and of different origins would help improve international relations. Freedom of speech was claimed as a fundamental rule of these meetings. From the very beginning Pushkin House was a politically independent organisation and it adheres to this principle to this day.

The original historic stone floor has recently been uncovered beneath modern finishes in the Entrance Hall of 5a Bloomsbury square, the home of Pushkin House since the 2000s. The floor features contrasting red, black and white tiles that are thought to be marble, slate and limestone and are arranged in a distinctive geometric pattern. The floor is in poor condition, with many cracked tiles and a modern self-levelling screed overlay. It is documented in a 1913 photograph and an undated early 20th century ground floor plan.

The floor was thought to have been lost before being uncovered as part of wider refurbishment works.

This restoration will sit within the wider renovation works taking place on the ground floor led by acclaimed Russian architect Alexander Brodsky, including architectural restoration and opening up of the ground floor to extend the bookshop and create an accessible event space.