Southwark Park Galleries
Southwark Park Galleries is a London-based registered charity operating two free-admission contemporary art venues and a community garden inside Southwark Park. It serves local families, seniors, young people, schools, and general visitors through exhibitions, workshops and public art funded by grants, donations, sponsorship and venue hire.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Southwark Park Galleries does
Southwark Park Galleries is a registered charity (no. 1073851) operating under the legal name Bermondsey Artists' Group, founded in 1984 by Ron Henocq and the Bermondsey Artists' Group to convert a derelict café in Southwark Park into a community-facing contemporary art venue. It runs two physical venues — Lake Gallery, a purpose-built 'white cube' redeveloped in 1999-2001, and Dilston Gallery, a Grade II listed deconsecrated church from 1911 that was the first poured concrete building in England — alongside a community garden, the Bermondsey Bothy and Salter Space. The organisation is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, has rebranded from CGP London to Southwark Park Galleries in 2025, and operates across exhibition programming, public art commissions, and a layered learning programme (Green Shoots family workshops, Family Allotment Club, Seniors Art School, Art & Ecology School Residencies).
The core product surface is a portfolio of free-admission exhibitions, community workshops and public art projects delivered through heritage physical assets, with no proprietary technology platform. The underlying infrastructure comprises the two galleries, a community garden, an online shop, an Eventbrite ticketing integration, and standard CMS/marketing channels (website, newsletter, Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram). Exhibitions in 2025-2026 include commissions and shows by DanFong Wang, Isabel Nolan (representing Ireland at the 61st Venice Biennale), Paul Purgas, Joy Labinjo, Kelly Large, Saelia Aparicio (in partnership with Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art) and Emily Waszak (with Temple Bar Gallery + Studios and Culture Ireland).
The business model is a diversified non-profit funding stack. All exhibitions and activities are free to the public; 70% of core income is generated annually from donations, grants, sponsorship and shop sales. Revenue streams comprise individual donations and Gallery Friends subscriptions, trust and foundation grants, corporate sponsorship (including British Land), core funding from Arts Council England and Southwark Council, shop sales of artworks and limited editions, and venue hire for weddings, photo/film shoots and corporate events. Operational headcount is 14 core staff plus 9 trustees, 10 gallery assistants, 2 learning assistants and 2 community gardening team members (31 individuals in total), serving customer segments that include families with children, seniors 55+, young people aged 13-19, local primary schools, and the general public/visitors.
Southwark Park Galleries firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Southwark Park Galleries
- Legal name
- Bermondsey Artists' Group
- Website
- https://southwarkparkgalleries.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Southwark Park Galleries is a London-based registered charity operating two free-admission contemporary art venues and a community garden inside Southwark Park. It serves local families, seniors, young people, schools, and general visitors through exhibitions, workshops and public art funded by grants, donations, sponsorship and venue hire.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Southwark Park Galleries industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contemporary Art Gallery and Community Arts Services
- NAICS
- Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Art Museums (THAJADAA)
Keywords
Where Southwark Park Galleries is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Southwark Park Galleries business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: Individual donations, monthly Gallery Friends subscriptions, trust and foundation grants, and core funding from Arts Council England and Southwark Council
- Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsorship and corporate partner relationships
- Shop Sales: Online shop and in-house sales of artworks and limited editions
- Venue Hire: Rental of gallery venues for weddings, photo/film shoots, and corporate events
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Southwark Park Galleries product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Southwark Park Galleries is an interdisciplinary arts charity operating two gallery venues — Lake Gallery (a purpose-built 'white cube' space) and Dilston Gallery (a Grade II listed deconsecrated church) — along with a community garden in Southwark Park, London. It presents free contemporary art exhibitions, commissions public artworks, runs community learning workshops (family, seniors, youth, schools), and generates income through venue hire and an online shop. Founded in 1984, it serves as a test site for experimental artistic practice with 100% of programmes funded annually through external support.
Product overview
Southwark Park Galleries is an interdisciplinary arts organization operating across two distinctive venues—Lake Gallery (a purpose-built 'white cube' gallery) and Dilston Gallery (a Grade II listed deconsecrated church)—plus a community garden and allotment. The organization offers a portfolio of programs including exhibitions, public art commissions (Artist Flags), educational workshops (Green Shoots! family workshops, Family Allotment Club, Seniors Art School, Art & Ecology School Residencies), and the Annual Open Exhibition. Additional services include venue hire, an online shop, and community spaces like the Bermondsey Bothy and Salter Space. Founded in 1984, it serves as a test site for experimental artistic practice while maintaining free admission to exhibitions and activities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Contemporary Art Exhibition Programme Free contemporary art exhibitions across two gallery venues featuring solo shows, major commissions, and the Annual Open Exhibition, with 15,000+ artists supported since 1984.
- Green Shoots! Family Workshops Free, artist-led eco-friendly creative workshops for families with children up to 12 years old, held Sunday mornings in the community garden, focused on environmental themes.
- Family Allotment Club Weekly drop-in gardening sessions for families with pre-school children (0-5 years), teaching nature, seed-sowing, flower-growing, and vegetable harvesting with arts and crafts.
- Seniors Art School Art workshops and programmes for adults over 55, including lino printing, photography, sculpture, digital storytelling, and writing workshops led by Artist Associates.
- Art & Ecology School Residencies Annual programme bringing free art sessions addressing environment and climate change themes to local primary schools, with Artist Associates spending two weeks in residency delivering creative and educational sessions.
- Artist Flags Public Art Programme Annual artist flag commissions displayed outdoors in Southwark Park, featuring works created through collaborations with local schools and community groups.
- Gallery Shop Online shop selling artworks, limited editions, and gifts, supporting the gallery's fundraising efforts.
- Venue Hire Rental of the gallery spaces for weddings, photo shoots, film shoots, and corporate events at the heritage venues.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supported over 15,000 artists since 1984
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Southwark Park Galleries
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles8 records
Southwark Park Galleries technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Southwark Park Galleries partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major and supporting.
- Baltic Centre for Contemporary ArtflagshipLead commissioner for Saelia Aparicio's A Joyful Parasite touring exhibition, in partnership with Southwark Park Galleries and The Burton at Bideford
- British LandmajorSupport for Art & Ecology School Residencies programme and Artist Flags public art project
- Temple Bar Gallery + StudiosmajorPartnership for Emily Waszak's first international solo exhibition, supporting Irish artists
- RIVA (Residencies in Visual Art)supportingSupport for Art & Ecology School Residencies and family activity packs
- North Southwark Environment Trust (NSET)supportingSupport for Green Shoots family workshops and Seniors Art School
- BOSCO Centre for Young PeoplesupportingLocal partnership for youth engagement programmes
- Age UKsupportingPartnership for Seniors Art School programme
- Autograph ABPsupportingPartnership for exhibitions and community engagement
- London Bubble Theatre CompanysupportingLocal arts partnership for community programmes
- Corali Dance CompanysupportingLocal partnership for dance and performance programmes
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Southwark Park Galleries competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Matt's Gallery: Long-running (1979) non-profit contemporary art gallery in Mile End, East London, supporting experimental artist practice through commissions and exhibitions. Closely matched on longevity, mission to platform experimental practice, and small-team operating model.
- South London Gallery: Free-admission contemporary art gallery in Camberwell, South London, combining exhibitions with a strong community education programme. Closest operational and mission analogue to Southwark Park Galleries — both are mid-size, free-entry South London contemporary art charities mixing artist commissions with learning and family programming.
- Camden Arts Centre: Free contemporary art gallery in North London with an embedded artist-in-residence programme and extensive schools, families, and adults learning offer. Highly comparable operating model: free entry, education-led, project-based commissions, mixed public funding base.
- Gasworks: Non-profit contemporary art space in Vauxhall, South London, focused on international artist residencies and exhibitions. Directly comparable as a small-scale, free-entry London contemporary art charity with international commissioning and a partnership/grant-driven funding model.
- Studio Voltaire: Independent non-profit gallery and artist studios in Clapham, South London, offering free exhibitions alongside an artist-residency programme. Closely comparable scale, mission (supporting experimental practice), and free-access model to Southwark Park Galleries.
- The Showroom: Free contemporary art gallery in Shepherd's Bush, West London, with a strong community and collaborative commissioning ethos. Comparable as a small-scale London non-profit gallery mixing international commissions with local public programmes.
- Chisenhale Gallery: Free contemporary art gallery in East London commissioning new work by emerging and established artists, supported by Arts Council England. Directly comparable as a small London ACE-funded contemporary art charity focused on artist commissions.
Broad incumbents
- Whitechapel Gallery: Major free contemporary art gallery in East London with a substantial learning programme and history of ambitious international commissions. Larger and more established than Southwark Park Galleries, but operates the same free-entry, commission-led model in the London contemporary art sector.
- Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art: Large free-entry contemporary art gallery in Gateshead and a confirmed commissioning partner for SPG (lead commissioner on Saelia Aparicio's A Joyful Parasite tour). Operating model overlap (free entry, artist commissions, learning programmes) but at much larger scale and as a regional rather than London venue.
- Tate Modern: UK's flagship contemporary art institution in London with free general admission. Represents the broad incumbent in the same London contemporary art space, but at vastly greater scale and with permanent-collection dynamics SPG does not have.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Southwark Park Galleries social profiles
Digital presenceSouthwark Park Galleries financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Southwark Park Galleries leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Southwark Park Galleries subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Southwark Park Galleries funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Southwark Park Galleries 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 Southwark Park Galleries
What does Southwark Park Galleries do?
Southwark Park Galleries is an interdisciplinary arts charity operating two gallery venues — Lake Gallery (a purpose-built 'white cube' space) and Dilston Gallery (a Grade II listed deconsecrated church) — along with a community garden in Southwark Park, London. It presents free contemporary art exhibitions, commissions public artworks, runs community learning workshops (family, seniors, youth, schools), and generates income through venue hire and an online shop. Founded in 1984, it serves as a test site for experimental artistic practice with 100% of programmes funded annually through external support.
Is Southwark Park Galleries a public or private company?
Southwark Park Galleries is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Southwark Park Galleries founded?
Southwark Park Galleries was founded in 1984. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Southwark Park Galleries based?
Southwark Park Galleries is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Southwark Park Galleries make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Grants are the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships, shop Sales and venue Hire.
Who are Southwark Park Galleries's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Matt's Gallery, South London Gallery, Camden Arts Centre, Gasworks, Studio Voltaire, The Showroom and Chisenhale Gallery. Broad incumbents are Whitechapel Gallery, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and Tate Modern.
Does Southwark Park Galleries have an API?
No public API is recorded for Southwark Park Galleries.
What industry is Southwark Park Galleries in?
Southwark Park Galleries's product category is Contemporary Art Gallery and Community Arts Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAH, Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit), with a secondary code of THAJADAA, Art Museums. Its NAICS code is 712 and its SIC code is 7900.