Spike Island exists because a group of artists came together and fought for it. In 1994, with support from architect Niall Phillips and backing from the first wave of National Lottery capital funding, a derelict Brooke Bond tea-packing factory was transformed into artists’ studios and gallery space.

A decade later, in 2004, Stirling Prize-winning architects Caruso St John carried out a major refurbishment, shaping the gallery and public spaces Spike Island is known for today. Yet, in the twenty years since, the building has received no significant capital investment.

Spike Island is a rare and vital part of Bristol’s cultural life – a place for artists to experiment, audiences to discover new ideas and communities to come together. Now, it’s our turn to protect that legacy.

Our building needs investment to secure its future. Our new masterplan will make Spike Island greener, more accessible and better equipped for the next generation of artists and audiences.

A Building for Everyone

Our masterplan will transform Spike Island for the next 50 years: a welcoming new entrance, accessible facilities throughout, reimagined workspaces, and new spaces for artists and audiences of all ages to meet, learn and create together.

Developed with award-winning 6a architects and decarbonisation experts Max Fordham, this will be the most significant investment in our building since we arrived in 1994.

We are now fundraising for the first stage of this transformation: new community and workspace facilities, a reconfigured café and reception, a Changing Places toilet, heat pumps, roof insulation and improved ventilation.

A Resilient Future for Artists and Audiences

Spike Island is a place where artists can afford to work, take risks and develop their practice – and where everyone can experience ambitious contemporary art for free. We want to keep it that way.

Rising energy costs, inflation and an ageing building are putting increasing pressure on what we can offer. This investment will make Spike Island more sustainable – environmentally and financially – so that artists and audiences can continue to benefit from everything it has to offer.

We’re already taking action to reduce our environmental impact and make the building more energy efficient. Our first major project — new roof insulation and 202 solar panels — has cut our electricity consumption by 18%. The solar energy generated in a single year is equivalent to planting 1,219 trees.

Next, heat pumps and improved heating and cooling systems will make Spike Island more comfortable, reduce our energy use and protect us from rising energy costs.

We’re also developing spaces for coworking, creative learning and events that can generate income – helping us continue to subsidise the parts of Spike Island that matter the most: affordable artists’ studios, commissions, free exhibitions and events.

A More Welcoming Spike Island

We want everyone to feel welcome and connected at Spike Island.

A new entrance, reception and café will create a more open, welcoming arrival, while new community and project spaces, improved accessibility and more places to gather will make it easier for more people to take part.

We’re also creating the first Changing Places toilet in Bristol’s South Harbourside, helping make Spike Island a place that’s genuinely accessible to everyone.

By investing in Spike Island’s future, we can protect what makes it special: a place for artists to experiment, for ideas to flourish, and for everyone to experience art.