Watermans

Watermans Arts Centre is a cultural organisation based in the London Borough of Hounslow. It began in the 1970s and once ran a riverside arts venue in Brentford on the Thames. The building closed in April 2024, but the organisation still runs outdoor performances, digital art and community programmes across the borough. It receives grants from Arts Council England and Hounslow Council. Work is under way to find a new permanent home in central Brentford. The Brentford venue opened in the 1980s with a cinema, theatre, gallery and two studios overlooking Kew Gardens. Its first director was John Baraldi, who arranged Ravi Shankar’s inaugural concert. The programme grew to include late-1980s raves and acid jazz nights headlined by DJ Gilles Peterson. In 1988 Spacemen 3 recorded their live album Dreamweapon during a show paired with a film. Writer Robert Rankin worked there in the 1980s, hosting poetry sessions while writing parts of The Brentford Trilogy. In the 1990s the venue became a platform for British Asian theatre and comedy, giving early stage time to Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal. Watermans now runs Bell Square, an open-air performance space in central Hounslow created with the council in 2014. The annual free programme includes circus, street theatre, dance and live music from international companies. Digital installations and community projects continue across the borough while plans for a new venue progress.