Creative Studios at St Johns

Flexible, affordable studio spaces in Elephant & Castle

- from £300 pcm

Spaces Available Now

About Your New Studio

  • Hotel Elephant is a not-for-profit company established in 2009 to provide space for Arts, Culture & Enterprise in Southwark.

    A former school, St John’s Walworth, opened in the Summer of 2022 and provides workspaces for artists, makers, and small creative businesses.

    We are pleased to offer high-quality spaces secure for five years, providing a much-needed addition to London’s creative workspace landscape. All our spaces have lots of natural light, heating, high-speed wifi, and access to communal facilities such as kitchens, wash-out sinks, and a bookable project space for our members.

    Located in the former school hall, the project space is available to hire for various arts, education, and community activities. 

  • St John’s provides a total of 27 studios ranging from 40 - 600 sqft.

    St John’s studios, Walworth, is a historic Victorian school building, with its former classrooms converted into studio spaces for artists, makers and creative businesses. These spaces are self-contained, with lots of natural light and high ceilings.

    The building is equipped with high-speed wifi, shared kitchenette and wash-out facilities. Outside, you will find bike racks for secure bike parking, a spray shed and an external kiln work area. Plus, we have a bookable project space in the former school hall, which you can book for your workshops and photo shoots.

  • Flexible contracts, secure location -

    Small studios are offered on a monthly rolling basis, with a 2-month break clause as standard.

    Medium-large studios are offered on a monthly rolling basis, with a 3-month break clause as standard.

    Longer contract terms are available for those looking for greater security.

    St John’s is a secure location, with 5 years guaranteed - something we know is increasingly hard to find in London.

  • Prices start at £300 pcm. Spaces are listed as one total price, which is inclusive of a service charge which covers all utilities and services.

  • All St John’s studio members benefit from access to high-speed wifi for all your essential online work.

    This is provided by a dedicated leased line and is included in your monthly studio rent.

  • All studio members get access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - because deadlines don’t work office hours!

  • We charge one monthly price, which includes a service charge. This service charge covers all utilities, high-speed wifi, cleaning of communal areas, general waste & recycling.

  • "This is a great team with a lovely space and positive ethos. Everyone was super helpful and really friendly. The coffee and treats at the bar were delicious too. Clearly committed to supporting the community and artists I would recommend supporting them if you need a friendly space near Elephant & Castle."

    Stephen - 5-star Google review

  • “Very grateful to Hotel Elephant and The Design Trust for creating a program and event that led me through the exact steps I needed to take to take part in the market event successfully! I will be able to carry what I have learnt forward as I grow my business. A totally positive experience - thankyou!”

    – Esme Tanner

  • "We've loved being here now for 2 months and no plans to change. Friendly staff and great coffee next door!"

    Michael - 5-star Google review

  • "I’ve loved being in the arch and taking part in the Hotel Elephant events!"

    Recent Studio Member

  • I love my studio at the Hotel Elephant. The building is so well-maintained and professionally managed. Also, the crucial thing for me was to have the space secured long term, so I could plan for the future. I work with ceramics, and I have my own kiln in the studio, which is absolutely amazing! The community is very friendly, supportive and welcoming ❤️‍🔥

    Xenia, Studio Member

  • A really great and affordable space, so it is fantastic to have my own little space to be creative. It is my sanctuary! And has given me the opportunity to grow my creative practice. The Hotel Elephant team are lovely, helpful and quick to respond. The building feels secure and safe. Would definitely recommend it to other independent designers, makers and artists.

    Mia Vilcins, Studio Member

  • Great art space with a wide variety of artists on site.

    Ian, Studio Member

  • I have a workshop here.It's a wonderful space and a great community of artists and makers.

    Simon, Studio Member

FAQ’s

  • Please fill in our studio enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch to organise a tour.

  • The contract type and notice periods differ depending on the studio location. In general, our smaller spaces are offered with a minimum two-month notice period, with a three-month minimum notice period for larger spaces.

    We can also offer longer-term contracts for those looking for greater security.

    Please refer to the individual studio listing for more information.

  • Yes, all our studio spaces can be shared. Some spaces may have a limit on how many people can share each space. All sharers must be detailed in the contract. Dedicated desks can’t be shared.

  • Our studios are listed as one total price, which is made up of rent and a service charge. What’s included may differ from location to location; however, the service charge generally includes all utilities, wifi, cleaning of common areas, general waste, recycling and maintenance. Please refer to each listing and speak with our team during your viewing for more information.

    Dedicated desks are one monthly all-inclusive price.

    VAT may be applicable at some locations; please refer to the listing.

    Business rates may be applicable at some locations, with most spaces eligible for 100% small business rate relief; please refer to the listing.

    Our team will send you a full breakdown of prices & terms after you submit your studio enquiry.

  • No, all our current locations (Spare Street Studios, Spare Street Works and St Johns Studios) are secure. Which means we have long/guaranteed lease lengths - this is increasingly unusual for artist studios.

    This not only allows us to offer peace of mind to our members but also enables us to invest in facilities, such as lease line internet which provides high-speed wifi to all our studios.

  • Our remit for studio space rental is broadly artists, makers and creative industries. Please do send us your enquiry and tell us what you do, we’d be happy to help.

    We unfortunately cannot accommodate personal or beauty services (hair, nails, lashes etc) or other non-creative activities. We also cannot accommodate music recording/rehearsal spaces, however some sound based work is permissible so do get in touch with your enquiry, we’d be happy to help.

  • We are happy to discuss your requirements. Different locations can facilitate different levels of equipment and processes. For example, we do have some studios which house kilns and fabrication equipment.

  • Hotel Elephant currently has two locations in central Elephant & Castle. Elephant & Castle is in zones 1 / 2, in the borough of Southwark, London.

    Just a few minutes walk from the tube, our locations are: Spare Street, which is home to both our Spare Street Studios and our coworking space, Spare Street Works. Close by is our St John’s Studios on Larcom Street. Both locations have an SE17 postcode.

  • The spaces listed on this page are all the studio spaces we have available currently. This page is updated regularly, so you can be sure our listings are up to date. You can add yourself to our studio waiting/mailing list to be kept up to date with availability.

  • Yes, we also have desks, offices and a meeting space available at Spare Street Works. Spare Street Works is your local coworking space at Spare Street, SE17.

    We also have a project space available to hire by the day at our St John’s location.

  • Periodically we may have special offers available on specific studio spaces. Please check the listings to find out more.

  • When you become a Hotel Elephant studio member, you are joining an interesting and friendly creative community. We only rent studios to those working within the arts and creative industries, which means your neighbours will all be interesting creatives just like you!

    Our members also get preferential access to booking our project and meeting spaces, and are invited to regular members’ social events. We showcase our members’ work in the communal areas of our spaces, and we are always open to collaborating with our members - whether it’s an exhibition or workshop, just get in touch, we’d love to hear your idea.

St Johns Studios

The former primary school, St John’s Walworth

Larcom Street,

London,

SE17 1NJ

Hours
Members get 24/7 access.

Viewings by appointment only