PRESS RELEASE: Crafting Excellence – Cockpit Studios Celebrates 40 Years Of Supporting Makers

This year, Cockpit Studios celebrates its 40th anniversary, marking four decades as one of the UK’s most influential charities for contemporary craft and making. Since 1986, Cockpit has been quietly shaping the UK’s craft landscape, helping thousands of emerging and established makers to build sustainable careers through affordable studio space, wraparound business training and coaching, and the support of an inspiring and collaborative community of makers. Cockpit has nurtured makers at the start of their careers and guided many to international success. 

Cockpit is often called a hidden gem of creativity, housing compelling stories and craft businesses in two historic studio buildings tucked away in Bloomsbury and Deptford. But this social enterprise has been driving the craft industry forward both in London and internationally for decades – the current maker community includes 176 studio holders, while nearly 700 designer makers make up its esteemed alumni community, including some of the most renowned craftspeople, artists, and thought leaders in craft and design.

This 40th anniversary offers an opportunity to celebrate Cockpit’s history and recognise its achievements, with a year-long programme of events and activities highlighting the charity’s continued ambition to champion craft and making to a global audience.

The programme will include an exhibition featuring photography, video, and craft objects during London Craft Week; a festive celebration and auction during the annual Summer Open Studios; the launch of a new bursary supporting makers working in cordwaining; and other activity throughout the year.

At a time when celebrating physical craftsmanship feels especially significant, Cockpit is proud to be marking four decades as one of the UK’s most influential spaces for craft and making.

Key Dates

• 17−24 March: The Big Give Arts for Impact Challenge
• 11−12 May: The Cockpit Effect launch & exhibition (part of London Craft Week)
• 4 June: 40th Anniversary Celebration & Auction
• 4−7 June & 12−14 June: Summer Open Studios
• 26−29 November & 4−6 December: Winter Open Studios

The History of Cockpit – Home of Incredible Craft

From artist cooperative to award-winning social enterprise.

Cockpit began in 1986 as a cluster of five workshops in Cockpit Yard, Bloomsbury, offering studio space to unemployed makers looking to start craft businesses. This historic building, which is still home to the charity’s Central London location, started life as an seventeenth century cockfighting arena before being taken over by a cabinet maker in 1745 and subsequently acquired by Camden Council in the twentieth century. The studios have continually been a site for craft and making, with Cockpit ensuring its survival as an affordable space for makers in a key central London location.

The first Cockpit Open Studios was held in 1988, and the biannual event, which allows the public behind-the-scenes access to makers in their studios, has since become a must-attend event for collectors, art lovers, and craft enthusiasts. The organisation officially registered as a charity in 1993 and further expanded its offering in 2002 when their Deptford building was acquired.

In 2005, Cockpit launched its business incubation programme, becoming a social enterprise just a year later and going on to win numerous awards for its distinctive model combining workspaces with business development and mentorship. In recent years, Cockpit successfully weathered the Covid-19 pandemic, providing essential support to makers during a time of extraordinary uncertainty, and in 2023, following a £3.24 million capital project and major refurbishment, a transformed Cockpit Deptford opened to the public, with a new café and garden, an expanded learning centre, 21 new studio spaces for makers, and new hubs for collaborative making.

Cockpit is now home to 176 makers working across 30 disciplines, some of which are considered at risk or endangered. After four decades, and despite numerous challenges, Cockpit continues to demonstrate its impact and value to London’s creative economy – every £1 invested in Cockpit generates three times that for the local community. At a time when access to creative careers is becoming more limited, Cockpit offers a compelling success story, one rooted in community and the transformative power of craft to shape a better world.

“Cockpit sets the benchmark for supporting makers, from those at the start of their careers to leading international figures, and we are proud of our impact over 40 years. As we look ahead, we are excited and committed to supporting the next generation of makers and empowering them to realise their creative potential and build sustainable businesses.”
- Jonathan Burton, CEO, Cockpit

Key Impacts & Milestones

• 861 total makers supported with studio space since 1986
• 48 craft disciplines practiced by studio holders (current and alumni)
• 22% of Cockpit makers are from a global majority background (compared to 4-10% in craft as a whole)
• 189 makers supported by an Award or Bursary since 2016
• 5,743 avg. annual footfall at Cockpit Open Studios since 2016
• Over the last decade, every £1 invested in Cockpit has generated approx. £3.84 in Gross Value Added
• 16,873 hours of business support provided to makers since 2019
• 3,470 one-to-one coaching sessions provided since 2019

Launchpad for the World’s Leading Makers

The UK’s only business incubator for craft.

Cockpit is one of the UK’s longest-running creative incubators, supporting independent makers to turn skill into viable businesses. The charity’s unique business model combines subsidised studios, targeted professional development, and strategic partnerships to produce strong survival rates and long-term career progression in a notoriously fragile sector. Makers benefit from hands-on mentoring and coaching from day one, with funded awards and bursaries providing early and mid-career support, some of the most challenging periods for independent businesses.

As the only remaining specialist craft studio space in London, Cockpit is a champion for craft at a time when creative spaces in London are under threat from redevelopment, gentrification, and a volatile property market. Craft has long been an essential cultural and economic force in the UK, and Cockpit’s advocacy and social enterprise leadership has enabled generations of makers to succeed, while opening routes to craft careers for young people and historically marginalised groups through funding, education programmes, and community engagement.

A key factor in Cockpit’s longevity is its maker community, a multi-generational and highly diverse cohort across both craft disciplines and demographics, representing the best of the best in contemporary craft. With spaces at Cockpit Studios in high demand, studio holders are selected for their excellence in craft skill, originality of creative voice, ambition to succeed professionally, and aspiration to contribute to the wider community. This has solidified Cockpit as a destination for the best of independent design talent, with the Cockpit stamp of excellence recognised around the world.

“One of the most valuable assets of [my] Award is being based at Cockpit at the centre of so many diverse creative businesses. Being part of this creative ecosystem and support network has enabled me to ask questions and learn from makers and no doubt accelerated my personal and professional development.”
- Kamilah Ahmed, Cockpit studio holder, recipient of The New Craftsmen Award 2021

Cockpit Success Stories – Maker Case Studies

Weaver Majeda Clarke in her studio at Cockpit Bloomsbury. Photo: Onur Pinar. / Cockpit Alumni and Carréducker founders Deborah Carré and James Ducker in their former studio. Photo: Chris Proctor.

Cockpit makers represent the full breadth of craft talent.

Cockpit has launched the careers of some of the biggest names in contemporary craft. Current makers include:

• Castro Smith – award-winning goldsmith and traditional hand engraver blending European and Japanese techniques in contemporary jewellery pieces
• Richard McVetis – renowned textile artist whose meticulous hand embroidered installations have been shortlisted for several awards, including the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize
• Jennie Adamson – bespoke tailor creating handmade clothing for men and women following Savile Row techniques
• Eleanor Lakelin – award-winning wood sculptor and former LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize finalist whose work is held in significant private and public collections
• Katharine Coleman MBE – award-winning glass engraver whose work has been exhibited internationally, keeping heritage techniques alive by training the next generation
• Malaika Carr – jewellery designer and former architect whose handmade statement pieces have been worn by Kate Middleton, Trinny Woodall, and Afua Hirsch
• Lucy McGrath – one of only ten professional paper marblers still working the UK today, breathing new life into centuries old techniques in stationary and homewares
• Ute Decker – acclaimed jeweller and pioneer of ethical jewellery practices known for creating minimalist yet powerful wearable art
• Lucille Lewin – founder and director of Whistles who left fashion for a successful second-act as a sculptor working in porcelain, glass, and metal
• Majeda Clarke – award-winning textile artist whose designs celebrate regional weaving techniques and bring modern aesthetics to ancient craft
• Darren Appiagyei – woodturner and curator who won the prestigious Collect Open Award for his 2025 installation ‘what grows in the dark, comes to light’
• Giuseppe Savoca – contemporary fashion designer and milliner whose luxury designs have been commissioned by Oprah Winfrey, Kylie Minogue, John Legend, and more
• Woo Jin Joo – mixed-media artist specialising in soft sculpture, textiles, and embroidery who won the 2025 Ingram Founder’s Prize

Some of Cockpit’s well-known alumni include:

• Gemma Shiel – CEO and founder of Lazy Oaf, cherished British fashion brand known for celebrating self-expression, humour, and storytelling
• Sophie Robinson – interior designer and broadcaster known for her love of vibrant colour and maximalist design
• Ruth Tomlinson – renowned fine jewellery designer creating ethereal heirlooms that celebrate unconventional beauty
• Leonardo Frigo – artist, luthier, and globe maker using 17th-century techniques and materials to unearth the forgotten art of globe making
• Phoebe English – founder of the eponymous award-winning sustainable fashion studio
• Clarissa Hulse – artist and designer creating beautiful and luxurious homeware pieces with a focus on botanical imagery and bold colour
• Sian Zeng – luxury artisan wallpaper designer and winner of the 2019 Etsy Global Design Awards
• Nico Conti – ceramic artist pushing the boundaries of materiality with explorations of 3D printing in porcelain
• Juliet Thornback and Delia Peel – design duo making intricately screen printed textiles and homewares, full of British humour and whimsy
• Ekta Kaul – award-winning textile artist known for her handstitched maps and abstract paintings, whose work is held in several private collections
• Deborah Carré and James Ducker – bespoke shoemakers championing handsewn craft and teaching traditional skills
• Freddie Robins – artist, maker, and ‘radical knitter’

The full list of current Cockpit studio holders is available on their website.

About Cockpit

Cockpit is London’s centre for excellence in craft and an award-winning social enterprise. For forty years, Cockpit has been at the heart of the craft community, nurturing and supporting craftspeople at every stage of their careers.

Cockpit is home to over 175 independent creative businesses across two London sites. Thanks to funded studio space, our signature professional development programme, and in-house business coaching, Cockpit makers thrive, with many going on to become leaders in their fields.

Cockpit gives makers tools to build their businesses so they can focus on what they do best: making. As the UK’s only incubator for makers, we help makers to succeed on their own terms, creatively and commercially.

Bridging the gap between talent and opportunity, Cockpit’s education and careers programmes open pathways into creative employment for people from all backgrounds. Each year we support forty new makers into practice, joining our community on funded places. From studio space to business advice, Cockpit is where careers in craft are made.

Cockpit is a charity – a donation here is a direct gift to supporting the future of craft in the UK.

Image Credits:

Cockpit Bloomsbury, home to over 500 makers since 1986. Photo: Jamie Trounce.

Ceramicist Ama Adansi-Pipim in her studio at Cockpit Bloomsbury. Photo: Alun Callender.

Esna Su, ‘The Memory Shell’, detail. Photo: Jamie Trounce.

Darren Appiagyei, ‘Pyrographic Vessel’, detail. Photo: Alun Callender.

Ute Decker in her studio - photo by Alun Callender.