Newport Street Gallery

The Newport Street Gallery stands in Vauxhall, a short walk from the Thames. It occupies a former theatre carpentry and scenery workshop built in 1913 for the London County Council. The brick building, designed by John Woodward, once housed sets and props for London stages. After years as an artist’s studio, it was transformed by Caruso St John Architects into a public gallery. The conversion won the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2016 for its careful handling of the original structure. Inside, the gallery spans more than 3,400 square metres across two floors. Six exhibition rooms offer varied spaces, the tallest reaching eleven metres under its ceiling. A ground-floor café and shop sit beside offices for the artist’s company. The building’s industrial bones remain visible through careful design choices. Visitors move between rooms lit by large windows and skylights. The gallery displays Damien Hirst’s private collection, known as Murderme. It holds over three thousand works by artists such as Francis Bacon, Tracey Emin and Pablo Picasso. Banksy, Jeff Koons and Sarah Lucas are also represented. Natural history specimens, taxidermy and historical objects share the walls with paintings and sculptures. Younger artists like Helen Beard and Sadie Laska appear alongside pieces by indigenous artists from the Pacific Northwest coast.