The Old School House

What The Old School House does

The Old School House (TOSH) is a registered charity (No. 1149697) and company (No. 8107118) operating from a Grade II listed Victorian school building in Boscombe, Bournemouth, UK, established in 2015 and run under the parent body Recreate Dorset (formerly Bournemouth 2026 Trust). Its core product is a multi-purpose community venue comprising an Assembly Hall, Atrium, Meeting Room, Orchard Garden and — from 2026 — nine artist studios, offered to local community groups, marginalised populations (including refugees, the elderly Polish community and neurodivergent participants), freelancers, artists and partner charities such as BEAF Arts Co (Open School Creative), the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Outside In.

The venue runs more than 100 events and workshops per year and is staffed by a five-person core team. The technology stack is operational rather than proprietary: standard room-hire booking, event ticketing, and charity administration systems underpin the offering; no AI, ML or data-product capability is disclosed. Heritage architecture, the Orchard Garden and curated programming function as the principal differentiators versus a generic community hall.

Revenue is generated from four streams: hourly room hire (£12-£18 per hour), forthcoming monthly studio rents (£185-£250), ticketed events and workshops, and institutional grants. The customer mix is deliberately long-tail and granular, with no single tenant or sponsor dominating, while the grant book is diversified across Arts Council England, the National Lottery Community Fund, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, People's Health Trust, JPMorgan and Wessex Water.

Name

The Old School House

Legal name

The Old School House

Website

https://toshspace.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Old School House is a charity-run Grade II listed community venue in Boscombe, Bournemouth, offering hireable rooms, artist studios (from 2026) and 100+ annual events to community groups, marginalised populations, local artists and freelancers via parent operator Recreate Dorset.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bournemouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Space and Venue Hire: Rental of hireable spaces including The Assembly Hall (£18/hour), The Atrium (£16/hour), The Meeting Room (£12/hour), and The Orchard Garden (£16/hour). Revenue from hot desking and co-working pods. Discounts offered for recurring bookings, charities, and community events.
2. Artist Studio Rentals: Monthly studio rentals for artists at TOSH Studios launching early 2026. Regular studios at £185/month, large studios at £220-250/month. Minimum 6-month contracts with option to share spaces.
3. Event and Workshop Fees: Revenue from ticketed events and workshops including meditation sessions, art classes, sound baths, and fitness classes. Pricing ranges from free to £25 per session depending on event type.
4. Grant Funding and Donations: Funding from charitable trusts and foundations including People's Health Trust, Arts Council England, Lottery Community Fund, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, JPMorgan, and Wessex Water. Donations support community programs and garden development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Old School House (TOSH) operates a Grade II listed Victorian building in Boscombe, Bournemouth as a non-profit creative community space. It rents hireable venues (The Assembly Hall, The Atrium, The Meeting Room, The Orchard Garden), co-working and hot-desking pods, and artist studios (TOSH Studios launching early 2026). It also runs ticketed and free community workshops, arts career development programmes, and creative inclusion projects for marginalized groups such as refugees, asylum seekers, and people facing barriers to the arts.

Product overview

The Old School House (TOSH) is a Boscombe-based non-profit creative community space operating from a Grade II listed Victorian building. The organization offers co-working and hot desking facilities, artist studios (TOSH Studios launching 2026), and four hireable spaces: The Assembly Hall, The Meeting Room, The Atrium, and The Orchard Garden. Community programming includes The Outsiders Project, Seeking Refuge Project, Community Mondays & Fridays, Community Music, and Young at Heart. Open School Creative (OSC) provides artist development support in partnership with BEAF Arts Co. The organization is managed by Recreate Dorset, a charitable Community Land Trust.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Open School Creative (OSC): A creative development network collaboration between BEAF Arts Co and TOSH supporting artists and creative practitioners in Dorset and the wider South West.
• Recreate Dorset

Products and services

• Co-working Space Spacious co-working pods and hot-desking facilities providing a professional environment for creative freelancers and small businesses, with free parking and WiFi.
• TOSH Studios Monthly-rented dedicated studio spaces (Regular 6.5m at £185/month, Large 7.8m-9m at £220-£250/month, minimum 6-month contract) for artists to develop their work within an inclusive creative community, including arts career support workshops and social events.
• The Assembly Hall Large versatile hall with wooden beamed ceiling and original features for workshops, talks, conferences, rehearsals, photoshoots, and yoga; capacity up to 60 standing, 35 theatre, 22 boardroom, 20 horseshoe; priced at £18/hour, £65 half-day, £120 full day.
• The Meeting Room Bright, naturally lit private room with smoked oak panelling for meetings, 1-1 sessions, and small group meetings; capacity 6 people; priced at £12/hour.
• The Atrium Heart of the Grade II listed building with original heritage windows and soaring wooden beamed ceiling, an adaptable open space for creative workshops, community gatherings, live music nights, pop-up performances; capacity up to 60 standing, 35 theatre, 20 seated; priced at £16/hour, £60 half-day, £110 full day.
• The Orchard Garden Outdoor community garden space among fruit trees, bushes, and herbs for gatherings, nature craft workshops, and quiet meetings; capacity 16 seated; priced at £16/hour.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 community members engaged at Orchard Garden opening celebration
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and important.

• Recreate DorsetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTOSH is managed by Recreate Dorset (formerly Bournemouth 2026 Trust), a Community Land Trust and Development Trust. Recreate Dorset provides governance, funding access, and connection to shared ownership housing properties at Gladstone Mews.
• BEAF Arts CocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between TOSH and BEAF Arts Co creates Open School Creative (OSC), a creative development network for artists in Dorset and South West. Joint programming includes workshops, artist talks, funding support, and group trips.
• Bournemouth Symphony OrchestracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSO's Health and Wellbeing Participate Team runs weekly Community Music sessions at TOSH, led by BSO Associate Musician Sam Mason and Music Leader Ed Lee. Sessions are free and open to all with no musical experience required.
• Outside InimportantStrategic or Co-development PartnerOutside In, a national charity supporting artists facing barriers, runs Make Art: Bournemouth monthly group at TOSH. Provides platform for artists with health, disability, social circumstance or isolation challenges to participate in creative activities.
• Plan Make Do / STØRIIEimportantStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts marketing agency founded by Laura Mulhern delivers creative business development workshops and 1:1 consultations in partnership with TOSH's Creative Start Up Programme.
• Digital Skills HubimportantStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgramme partner in TOSH Creative Start Up Programme, providing digital skills support for emerging creatives.
• Dorset Polish CentreimportantStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on Young at Heart project providing support to elderly Polish community and families facing isolation due to health, language barriers, and financial challenges.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Acme Studios:
• Spike Island: Bristol-based charity operating a Grade II* listed former industrial building as a contemporary art centre with artist studios, gallery, and community programmes. Closely comparable to TOSH in combining affordable artist studios, exhibition programming, and a heritage venue model under a non-profit structure.
• East Street Arts: Leeds-based charity providing affordable artist studios, creative community programmes, and exhibition spaces. Mirrors TOSH's studio + community + events model with a similar non-profit operating structure and focus on supporting artists facing barriers to access.
• SPACE Studios:
• Bristol Folk House: Bristol-based charity and heritage building offering creative classes, workshops, venue hire, and community programmes. Closely comparable to TOSH in operating from a heritage building, running a mix of short courses and community events, and serving as an inclusive creative community hub.
• The Art House:

Broad incumbents

• HOME (Manchester): Manchester's flagship arts centre combining cinema, theatre, gallery, and bar/restaurant. A broader incumbent in the UK community arts space with a much larger venue footprint and multiple programming strands, but shares the TOSH model of integrating arts, community, and venue hire in a single destination.
• BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art: Gateshead-based major contemporary art centre in a converted flour mill, offering exhibitions, artist studios, learning programmes, and venue hire. A larger-scale incumbent with a similar heritage-building, community-anchored arts venue model, but with national/international visitor reach rather than TOSH's regional focus.

Others

• The Conduit: London-based members' club and co-working space with a social impact mission. Overlaps with TOSH in the co-working and community-mission dimensions, but operates a commercial private-members model rather than the non-profit, grant-funded structure used by TOSH.
• Town Hall Hotel Birmingham: Birmingham-based heritage building (former Town Hall) operating as a hotel with co-working and event venue spaces. Compares to TOSH through its Grade II heritage asset and event hire offering, though commercial rather than non-profit and without TOSH's community programmes for marginalised groups.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/toshspace
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/toshspace
• Instagraminstagram.com/toshspacebmo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Old School House