Blackhorse Collective Zone
Waltham Forest's Creative Enterprise Zone
Located in a well-known industrial district of Waltham Forest, Blackhorse Lane, the Zone has a long-standing history of craft and creativity, renowned as a centre for the manufacture of furniture, printing machinery, leather goods, children’s toys and motors, and much more.
Welcome to Blackhorse Collective
Today the area remains a key creative destination, home to a broad variety of makers and creators, including craft and fashion manufacturing, furniture making and design.
The ambition for the Zne, which launched in 2021, is to become a leading provider of skills, training and creative education, working in partnership with Big Creative Education, which is based in Blackhorse Lane.
The story so far
The zone is creating 1000 sqm of affordable workspace to ensure local makers, artists and creatives can live and develop their career in their borough. They are also striving to become a leading provider of skills, training and creative education and establish real access points for anyone that wishes to pursue a creative career. Improved connectivity between education providers and the business community are making this happen.
Partners in the Zone
Big Creative Academy
London’s largest creative college for 16+ training. Designed to transform lives with an outstanding creative, health and wellbeing education offer. Featuring state-of-the-art facilities including a 200-seater theatre, industry-standard equipment, a dance studio, health and fitness suite, and music and media studios, Big Creative Academy provides an exciting and innovative space to learn.
Blackhorse Lane Workshop
A social enterprise dedicated to making and offering easy access to a fully equipped wood and metal workshop that’s open to all. They offer courses, bookable workbenches, and supported sessions led by expert technicians. Their local creative programmes explore new ways to discover making, with a core mission to lead the way in environmentally sustainable wood and metal craftworking.
Yonder
A community-led facility with indoor climbing, co-working, studio space and a café. Their co-working space houses more than 20 desks and 10 open-top lockable offices – suitable for small businesses and start-ups. Their 'Maker’s Lab' provides a hybrid space for electronics makers, illustrators, and clothing designers, alongside a dedicated woodworking space for furniture makers and set designers.
Creative ambassadors
Meet the Blackhorse Collective zone's creative ambassadors – local champions who connect the community, support creative talent and help shape the Zone.
VADHER Leathers
The sustainable-focused brand is a fourth-generation family business creating handmade leather bags and accessories with minimal use of technology and using materials that would have been otherwise wasted. VADHER Leathers took part in the London Made Me Retail Accelerator programme in 2022, showcasing their products in our Regent Street pop-up shop.
IG: @vadher_leathers
Latest news
Find news from City Hall about the Blackhorse Collective Zone.
Get in touch
To learn more and get in touch, visit the Blackhorse Collective Zone's website.
Explore London's Creative Enterprise Zones
Find more zones