Watermans
Watermans is a UK-registered charity and social enterprise operating an arthouse cinema, theatre, international outdoor performance programme at Bell Square, new media arts commissions, and accessible children and young people provision for the Hounslow community in West London.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersBrentford, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Watermans does
Watermans is a UK-registered charity (Hounslow Arts Trust Ltd, charity no 267426) and certified social enterprise that operates as West London's leading arts producer, delivering an integrated programme of arthouse cinema, live theatre, new media arts, and outdoor performance from the Bell Square venue in Hounslow and across partner sites in the borough. Its core products are a 120-seat cinema with analogue and digital projection (including portable outdoor projection), a theatre and live performance programme, the Bell Square international outdoor performance series, a new media arts exhibition and commissioning programme (with a digital gallery at digital.watermans.org.uk), and a children and young people's offer that includes an accessible Short Breaks provision for disabled children.
The organisation is also the lead partner for the Arts Council England-funded Creative People & Places Hounslow programme, a member of Future Arts Centres, and operates an on-site restaurant, Guru Tandoori Kitchen, alongside venue hire for private cinema screenings and events.
Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of streams: ticket sales (e.g., £10 full price / £9 concession / £8 under-26 for pre-6pm cinema screenings), core grant funding from Arts Council England and London Borough Hounslow, individual donations and #GivingTuesday appeals, annual memberships offering discounted tickets, corporate sponsorship, on-site F&B sales, and venue hire. As of 2024, Watermans closed the 40 High Street arts centre and is operating remotely and from Bell Square/partner venues ahead of a planned relocation to a new building in the centre of Brentford; the new venue has not yet opened at the time of the source material.
Watermans firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Watermans
- Legal name
- Hounslow Arts Trust Ltd
- Website
- https://watermans.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Watermans is a UK-registered charity and social enterprise operating an arthouse cinema, theatre, international outdoor performance programme at Bell Square, new media arts commissions, and accessible children and young people provision for the Hounslow community in West London.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Watermans is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brentford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Watermans business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Revenue from cinema, theatre, and live performance ticket sales through box office and online.
- Grant Funding: Core funding from Arts Council England and London Borough Hounslow.
- Donations: Individual donations and #GivingTuesday appeals to support free Bell Square programme.
- Food & Beverage: Guru Tandoori Kitchen restaurant, cafe bar, and catering services operating at the venue.
- Business Sponsorship & Membership: Corporate sponsorships and annual memberships offering brand recognition and community engagement.
- Venue Hire: Cinema and space hire for private screenings, parties, and events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Per transaction | Cinema tickets before 6pm - full price |
| Unit Pricing | Per transaction | Cinema tickets before 6pm - concession |
| Unit Pricing | Per transaction | Cinema tickets before 6pm - under 26 |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual memberships |
| Unit Pricing | Per transaction | Express Lunch menu |
| Unit Pricing | Per transaction | Sunday lunch buffet |
| Other | Other | Outdoor Arts Events |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Watermans product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Watermans is an art and cultural centre that operates an arthouse cinema, a theatre for live performance, an outdoor performance venue at Bell Square, and a new media arts gallery. It produces and curates community arts programming including exhibitions, creative workshops, and accessible programmes for children, young people, and disabled audiences across Hounslow and West London.
Product overview
Watermans is West London's leading arts producer and registered charity operating as a social enterprise. The organization functions as a single unified arts venue and programme rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core offerings include an arthouse cinema (120 seats with analogue/digital projection), a theatre for live performance, the outdoor Bell Square venue for international outdoor arts, and a new media arts programme. Supporting offerings include a children's and young people's creative programme (including accessible Short Breaks services for disabled children), the Creative People & Places Hounslow community initiative (as lead partner), and an on-site restaurant (Guru Tandoori Kitchen). The organization is transitioning to a new building in Brentford, having closed its 40 High Street location in 2024.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cinema A classic arthouse cinema with 120-seat gently raked seating, offering analogue and digital projection including portable digital projection for outdoor screenings. Targeted at general public audiences in Hounslow and West London.
- Theatre / Live Performance Live theatre and performance events including outdoor performance at Bell Square and indoor performances in the Watermans theatre space, targeted at local community audiences.
- Bell Square Outdoor Performance Venue An outdoor performance venue hosting international outdoor performance and arts events as part of Watermans' programme in Hounslow. Events are free to attend.
- Exhibitions & New Media Arts Curated exhibitions and digital art commissions by New Media artists, presented at Watermans and via the Digital Space online gallery at digital.watermans.org.uk. Targeted at general public and arts audiences.
- Children & Young People Programme Programmes for children and young people including the Short Breaks Film Club, creative courses, workshops, and work experience programmes. Also produces an accessible and aspirational programme for disabled children and young people.
- Creative People & Places Hounslow An Arts Council-funded community arts programme working across the borough of Hounslow to increase access and participation in the arts. Watermans serves as lead partner.
- Guru Tandoori Kitchen On-site restaurant and cafe bar serving freshly prepared Indian food including express lunch menus, Sunday lunch buffet, and a la carte options. Available for dine-in, takeaway via Deliveroo, and private events.
- Cinema / Theatre Venue Hire Venue hire services for private screenings, parties, and events. The cinema offers 120 gently raked seats with technical support included; hire enquiries require at least 6 weeks advance notice.
- Memberships and Sponsorship Packages Annual memberships offering discounted and free cinema tickets and other benefits, valid for one year. Corporate sponsorships offer brand recognition and community engagement opportunities for local businesses.
Companies that use Watermans
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Watermans technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Watermans partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Creative People and Places HounslowcoreArts Council funded community programme operating across the borough of Hounslow, with Watermans as lead partner.
- Future Arts CentresminorMembership network of arts centres; Watermans part of national Future Arts Centres collaborative project 'Our Freedom: Then and Now'.
- TicketsolvecoreTicketing partner handling online ticket sales, customer accounts, and box office operations.
- WorldPaycoreCredit card payment processor for ticket transactions.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Watermans competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rich Mix: East London arts venue combining cinema, live performance, gallery, and community programmes. Closely mirrors Watermans' multi-format offering under one roof with public-arts funding support.
- Battersea Arts Centre: Community-focused arts centre in South London with a similar mix of theatre, live performance, participatory programmes, and venue hire. Comparable scale, public-funding profile, and mission-driven operating model.
- Artsdepot: North London arts centre presenting theatre, dance, comedy, and participatory programmes for children and families. Similar civic-arts mandate with council and Arts Council funding ties.
- The Albany: Multi-purpose community arts centre in Deptford offering theatre, performance, workshops, and creative programmes for local residents. Directly comparable on community-led programme model and local-authority partnership structure.
Broad incumbents
- Southbank Centre: UK's largest arts centre operating multiple performance venues, galleries, and festivals. Overlaps with Watermans on multi-disciplinary programming but operates at national scale with substantially larger Arts Council backing.
- Roundhouse: Larger London performing arts venue with a strong focus on creative programmes for young people aged 11–25. Comparable on youth engagement and creative-development programming, though at meaningfully larger scale.
- ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts): London institution presenting contemporary art exhibitions, cinema, and performance. Comparable on the cinema-plus-gallery-plus-events mix Watermans runs, but with a contemporary-arts rather than community-arts positioning.
Regional players
- Lyric Hammersmith: West London producing theatre with a strong community and young people's programme. Geographic peer in the same borough cluster, with overlapping audience and education-partnership territory.
- Bush Theatre: West London new-writing theatre venue. Operates in the same geography (Shepherd's Bush) as Watermans and shares West London audience overlap, though it specialises in new plays rather than multi-format community arts.
Emerging players
- Canada Water Theatre: Newly opened Southwark cultural venue with theatre, studio, and community space. Relevant as a comparator for a venue in the middle of building out a new-build civic arts destination, similar to Watermans' planned Brentford relocation.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Watermans social profiles
Digital presenceWatermans financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Watermans leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Watermans funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Watermans M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Watermans
What does Watermans do?
Watermans is an art and cultural centre that operates an arthouse cinema, a theatre for live performance, an outdoor performance venue at Bell Square, and a new media arts gallery. It produces and curates community arts programming including exhibitions, creative workshops, and accessible programmes for children, young people, and disabled audiences across Hounslow and West London.
Is Watermans a public or private company?
Watermans is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Watermans founded?
Watermans was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Watermans based?
Watermans is headquartered in Brentford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Watermans make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are grant Funding, donations, food & Beverage, business Sponsorship & Membership and venue Hire.
Who are Watermans's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rich Mix, Battersea Arts Centre, Artsdepot and The Albany. Broad incumbents are Southbank Centre, Roundhouse and ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts). Regional players are Lyric Hammersmith and Bush Theatre. Canada Water Theatre is listed as an emerging player.
Does Watermans have an API?
No public API is recorded for Watermans.