Flexible Workspace Provider Profile – The Boathouse Design Studio

The Boathouse Design Studio Flexible Workspace – Open Office Space for Creative Professionals

Read our guide to find out what type of flexible workspace is offered by The Boathouse Design Studio

What types of flexible workspace products do The Boathouse Design Studio provide?

The Boathouse Design Studio offers desks for rent to professionals from the creative industries.

The friendly and collaborative creative coworking space is situated within a Grade II listed riverside boathouse and is a thriving hub of creative activity with members operating in different disciplines within similar fields.

The Boathouse Design Studio is located at Teddington Lock, a short distance from Twickenham.

The Boathouse Design Studio Location

27 Ferry Road, Teddington, Twickenham TW11 9NN

We have the pleasure of providing access to The Boathouse Design Studio creative coworking space in Southwest London.

About The Boathouse Design Studio

Established in 2015 as a coworking office space for a mix of creative professionals, overlooking Teddington Lock, The Boathouse has a rich history.

Originally built circa 1850, its first known tenant was James Artur Messenger, a waterman and boatbuilder.

He later became a champion sculler and, in 1862, was appointed as the Queen’s Bargemaster and was responsible for the Royal Watermen who looked after royalty travelling on the river, which was their main mode of transport until the mid-nineteenth century. It is a title only granted to the very highest calibre of watermen and he held this prominent role for many years, from 1862 to 1890.

Messenger died in 1901 and left a wonderful legacy behind him with a lifetime of achievements on the river which lives on through the boathouse today.

In the 1930s, the boathouse was acquired by the Tough family, who had a long association with the river as lightermen and boat builders. They expanded the boatbuilding business, by creating a chandlery within the boathouse, enabling them to carry out repair works and alterations.

During WWII, they expanded greatly. The yard became a muster point for the ‘little ships’ for the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940, which was organised locally by Douglas Tough.

Following the war, the boatyard created many boats for the film industry including a dinghy for ‘From Russia with Love’.

The depression of the 1980s, together with new technologies and developments in other areas, caused a decline in the boatbuilding industry. The boathouse remained the property of the Tough family until 2006 and was used for various purposes such as housing the British Motor Yacht Club.

In 2009, it was bought by Architect Matthew Allchurch and Urban Landscape Architect Richard Broome who placed their respective practices on the top floor of the building which they had refurbished. The renovation remained true to the building’s original form and structures, they highlighted its many beautiful features and utilised artefacts such as old signs and fixtures, lights and boating paraphernalia.

In 2015, the ground floor was transformed into an open office space for creative professionals who like to work and socialise together.

Today, The Boathouse maintains its strong ties with the river. For instance, The Chandlery boat shop still operates today out of the Boathouse and many of the people working within the exceptional commercial property volunteer for the Teddington RNLI as crew members.

So, if you hear pagers going off during the day, you know what that is… although, often, the pagers go off in the middle of the night which will explain some of the bleary eyes during the day, too!

The Boathouse Design Studio Social Media

Examples of social media posts from The Boathouse Design Studio can be seen below:

Facts about The Boathouse Design Studio 

• The original boathouse, within which the creative co-working space is located, dates back to 1850.
• The building is Grade II listed for reasons of rarity, historical interest as it was once tenanted by the Queen’s Bargemaster, and architectural interest particular features such as the kingpost roof and original floorboards.
• The Boathouse was transformed into its current iteration in 2015 by an architecture practice and an urban design practice – the two practices are, incidentally, the owners of The Boathouse and both occupy the upper floor of the property.
• The Boathouse Design Studio is located at Teddington Lock in the TW11 9NN Southwest London postcode district.

Why choose The Boathouse Design Studio flexible creative space in Southwest London?

Aside from being located within a beautiful Grade II listed building with great heritage, in a stunning waterside position overlooking Teddington Locks and Ham Lands Nature Reserve, the co-working space is home to a friendly and collaborative community of creative professionals that love to work and socialise together.

The collection of co-workers is a diverse multi-disciplinary mix of occupiers including AI specialists, animators, architects, digital marketers, entertainment lawyers, hospitality industry specialists, landscape artists, property developers, urban design consultants, and many others.

And, while the mix is diverse, there are many crossover points and members often share ideas, leads and clients.

Regular social events are organised that bring members together such as sketching, photography and running clubs, and, once a week, one of the co-workers cooks lunch for the community.

Apart from being a special property, its location is unique, too – Teddington Lock marks the end of the tidal Thames and, effectively, the UK’s coastline.

The Boathouse is a green co-working space and is Green Small Business Certified – it works with ‘Green Small Business’ who provide environmental management systems and net zero support.

It enjoys a convenient location in Southwest London – it is a 15-minute walk from the centre of Teddington and the train station which links to neighbouring Twickenham in just 8 minutes.