Havelock Walk. Photo; Tine Hvidsten

This month the artists residing in Havelock Walk, a charming mews in Lewisham’s Forest Hill, open their collective doors to the public for two weekends, an event which has already attracted the attention of the New York Times.

The small, but thriving artist community on Havelock Walk started holding open days around nine years ago under the auspices of internationally renowned sculptor Jeff Lowe, and use the event as a way of showcasing the work of its residents and as a way of involving their fellow Forest Hill locals in what normally goes on behind the doors of the studio units.  Among other things the creative community encompasses sculpture, painting, photography, print, ceramics and offer classes in drumming.  The open studios give the public a chance to have a look at both artists’ work and their workspaces, and the opportunity for a bit of informal art chat. For local history buffs, there is an added bonus in that the studios are housed in some of Forest Hill’s oldest buildings, located off what was once the Croydon Canal.

East London Lines spoke to Wayne Robert Parker, photographer and organiser of this year’s open studio events about what goes on in Havelock Walk.

The event is part of the 2010 Dulwich Festival‘s Artist’s Open House weekends.