Rosehill Workshop is 30!

I have been a member of the Artists Co-operative Rosehill Workshop since 1994, and in 2024 we turn 30! Thanks to fellow member Penny Warren and founder members Michael Wilde and Simon Taylor for helping to gather all these memories

​Rosehill Workshop 1994-2024
In 1993 a group of recent graduates from the Wood, Metal, Ceramics and Plastics degree course at Brighton University were looking for studio space.
Michael Wilde shared a flat on Rose Hill with Zac Lewis, and they could see the Rose Hill Workshop building from their rear window. Zac and Michael climbed down scaffolding that was up at the back of their building and slipped in through the broken double door to have a look around.
The building had been empty for some time, and previously used by a double glazing firm and a tile making firm. It was owned by the same landlord as their flat, Mr Tearle. He was in his 80’s and owned a lot of properties around Brighton. We think Mr Tearle bought Rosehill in the 1920’s or 30’s as one of his first properties and had originally used it himself for a sign making business.
Michael and Zac gathered a group of friends who they thought might be interested to discuss starting a new workshop. The building needed a lot of repair work, and it was agreed with Mr Tourle that they could have six months rent free to repair the doors, paint, and sort out the electrics.
They signed a lease under the names Wild, Taylor, Lewis and Walters with Simon Taylor and Andy Walters. They secured an £800 loan through Andy’s wife Sue to pay the electrician and solicitor. Helen Augade, David Rogers, Becky Levine and Laura Pottinger were all early member who helped with the renovations.
They put fliers around the university and town advertising the space.
It was always the plan to provide affordable workshop space for craftspeople, with everyone paying the same and working co-operatively to run the workshop. Members sign a licence agreement to join the workshop, rather than renting a certain square footage of space. We have meetings to discuss and vote if there any decisions to be made. Including on Zoom during covid.
Inside the workshop here was a large Cromarty kiln already in place. The group added a row of jeweller’s benches on top floor, and members put their Ceramics throwing wheels downstairs in the Kiln room.
Penny Warren, Sarah Packington, Gabriella Casemore, Rob Demel, Karen Laver, Laura Dodson, Annabet Wyndham and Jo Complin all joined in the first year.
The original monthly membership rate was £60 . We were very sociable, holding regular BBQs in the yard, and all downing tools for tea and cake at 4PM. Friday lunchtimes were at the Rose Hill pub, their speciality being a delicious filled Yorkshire Pudding.
We were awarded a grant of £500 for South East Arts to buy a second hand Apple Mac computer to share and a printer.
In 1997 we held a group exhibition at Myrioscope Gallery on Sydney Street in Brighton (now IO). In 1998 we took part in the Christmas gift show Lavish at the Phoenix Gallery on Waterloo Place Brighton.
 

​In about 2010 our landlord Mr Tearle died, and his estate sold our building at auction. He had sold the building with Michael’s old flat a few years previously. We like to think he hung on to Rosehill until the end because he was fond of us. We still had a lease, but when that ran out our future was uncertain as the new owners had plans to develop the plot.
Luckily for us property development generally had stalled a bit after 2008. Since the workshop started most other independent studios had been knocked down and shiny new flats, offices and restaurants built in their place. It also worked in our favour that the access to the plot is through a passageway under another building, also it is on a hill and surrounded by the gardens of several properties and the Salvation Army building.
After our lease expired, we still had permission to stay and the new landlords them same rent. Eventually new landlords put the workshop up for sale.
We looked around for alternative spaces but found nothing as suitable as our Rosehill. It is ideal as a workshop: being a detached building means less noise nuisance to neighbours, with no flats above so safer when using gas torches and kilns. The yard is also very useful. The Workshop is uninsulated so chilly in and winter rather draughty, but the roof is sound.
The building didn’t attract an offer acceptable to landlords, and they decided to keep us as tenants. In 2016 new lease was agreed with the rent doubling to a fully commercial rate. We advertised for new members to join and did a lot of work improving the ground floor, including laying a new floor and dry lining the walls.
During covid some members moved all their work home, others formed workshop ‘bubbles’ and we operated on a timetable.
In 2023 we had our first BBQ for many years at in the workshop yard, and are planning a party to celebrate 30 years in July 2024

Rosehill Workshop Website