Building works continue at Cecil Sharp House

Details

Published: Friday, 13 September 2013 12:00

Welcome to the latest Cecil Sharp House building project update from Rosie Baker, Operations Director at the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS).

The team at Cecil Sharp House would like to thank you all for your patience during the most disruptive of weeks we have had so far since the building works started!

Vaughan Williams Memorial Library

By Monday 16 September visitors will be able to access the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library again after a two week closure while the reception area was being worked on. Malcolm and the team have been missing working in the library hugely and are looking forward to welcoming you again soon!

Between 16 and 27 September public access to the library will be by appointment only. If you would like more information, or to make an appointment, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or +44 (0)20 7485 2206 ext.233.

Due to building works at Cecil Sharp House the sound and audio visual collections in the library are unavailable until October 2013. The library will not open on Saturdays during September.

Reception

We now don’t have a reception desk or reception lobby at all as you can see from the photos! Depending on when you visit us you may have to enter through an alternative door – please follow the signs when you arrive and you may find a temporary reception desk in Storrow or Kennedy, depending on what’s on. We also are temporarily without a reception phone so please call the main office on +44 (0)207 485 2206 if you have a question about your visit or want to check what’s on in the house.

We are trying to keep the ship running and business as usual as much as possible now our classes and courses are starting again for the autumn this week. Things will be back to normal by the end of September and it will be well worth the wait when you see the new look Cecil
Sharp House we promise! 

Cafe

The cafe is the next area to be given a much needed facelift. This week will see the beginning of work to replace the floor, ceiling and repaint this area to signal the start of our new caterers Pink Food who will be joining the Cecil Sharp House team from 1 October once the refurbishment in this area is complete. We can’t wait for you to try their legendary brownies! Find out more about our cafe and bar

Access all areas: the lift

The lift itself will take slightly longer than anticipated due to unforeseen complications. We are expecting the lift to be fully functioning by the end of November. If you are a wheelchair user and are planning a visit prior to this please call the office on the number above to discuss your visit with us.

Toilets

By the end of September we also hope to be able to introduce you to our newly installed accessible toilets on the Ground Floor also. In the meantime we apologise for any disruption caused to your visit by the building works, please bear with us and we promise you a much improved venue next time you visit.


The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) has been awarded a grant of £378,842 from Arts Council England, as part of their small capital grants programme, to improve access at Cecil Sharp House. This project is also supported by the City Bridge Trust, the City of London Corporation’s charity, The Headley Trust, and the Friends of Cecil Sharp House.