A crafts charity in Tower Hamlets, known for hosting a variety of exhibitions, workshops, markets, studios, and much more, has shut down after financial struggles. 

Craft Central at the Forge, on Westferry Road, on the the Isle of Dogs, released a statement on their now shut down website, saying they have experienced extreme financial difficulties since moving from their building in Clerkenwell Green in 2017.  

Combined with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, rising costs, particularly utility bills, and a decline in funding for arts and crafts in the UK, they had no other choice but to shut down.  

The building manager, Patrick Harrison, told Eastlondonlines: “Staff and trustees are distressed at the impact it has had on our artists, and the speed at which it took place. It’s so sad, and we so appreciate the warm messages from so many of our artists.” 

As news circulated of The Forge’s closure, the creative community mourned the loss of a cherished space.  

Anna SH, a curator and artist and Anna Nesterenko, a Ukranian artist recently co-curated an exhibition in the building called Our Home: Ukraine. Anna SH said: “I am devastated by it. I used to rent a studio there in 2021, and it was a wonderful few months.  

“Then I got to know some of the other tenants and made new friends. I wish I had the time to meet more people who rented studios there. The ones I’m acquainted with are all brilliant masters of their trades, each of them like a gem, with a unique set of skills and a burning passion. Which makes it even sadder to understand what they might be going through now, not having a studio to work in anymore.  

“I have a deep respect for the management team who were so kind to let us hold our event there, despite all the havoc happening in the last couple weeks. I just wish we had done the exhibition in slightly calmer times, but it is what it is.”