A set of five artists’ studios in southwest London have been put on the market for the first time since 1959.
St Oswald’s Studios in Fulham is on sale for £1.5 million with Savills.
The quintet of artists’ workshop has five-metre-high ceilings and plenty of natural light — a must for painters and sculptors.
Converted into artists’ studios in 1912, Studio 4 was once occupied by the artist Moira Forsyth, who created stained-glass windows for Guildford Cathedral and Norwich Cathedral, as well as Eton College chapel.
In the 19th century, the site was home to an archery and rifle range.
The studios sit behind Sedlescombe Road and are accessed via a covered entryway through a brickwork arch.
Each studio is also currently equipped with their own kitchen and bathroom. In total the studios comprise 435 square metres of space.
There is planning permission to install mezzanines and roof lights, and there are currently tenants in several of the studios.
However, estate agents Savills have said that vacant possession could be achieved in three months, should the future owner wish to turn the site into something else.
“The building offers an exciting opportunity for both developers and owner occupiers,” said Charlie Redman, from Savills development land team.
“We anticipate interest to come from a range of potential uses including, but not limited to, residential or educational,’ added Redman, who is managing the sale.
“We are seeking offers on a wholly unconditional basis, so ultimately the market will dictate the most appropriate future use for the site.”
The property is currently in a Class E planning use, so could continue being used as art studios, or for hosting medical or professional services, a nursery or creche, or a day centre.
Although it is within the Sedlescombe Road Conservation Area, it is not a listed building.
There are new build residential buildings in the area, but artist Antony Micallef has warned that the loss of affordable artists' studios is driving young creative talent from diverse backgrounds out of the city during the cost-of-living crisis.
"Two of my very first studios in London were in Kensal Rise over 10 years ago," he wrote in a column for the Evening Standard this year.
"But both of these studio complexes have now been converted into luxury flats."Other properties coming on to the market this year for the first time in decades include a Victorian boathouse on the bank of the Thames, a collector's home in Greenwich with maximalist interiors, and the self-designed home of leading modernist architect John Graham.
