Brixton's derelict Raleigh Hall has been awarded a £4 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant which, combined with a £1 million contribution from the Mayor and regular cash injections from Lambeth council, will fund its conversion into a permanent home for the Black Cultural Archives.
Located, appropriately enough, beside Windrush Square, the new centre will include a reference library, research facilities, cafe and reading room, alongside the BCA's copious archive, which dates back five centuries. The redevelopment means that the Grade II-listed Raleigh Hall, built in 1824 but left derelict for two decades, will be removed from English Heritage's 'At Risk' register.
Work to convert the building will commence in the spring.
