Hollaway Studio is an architectural and interior design practice that embraces the past, the present, and the future and places people and feeling at the core of its architecture philosophy.
The Southeast is our home. We have designed and built many projects in London over the years including Chapel Downs’ Gin Works in Kings Cross’s old gasworks building, The Fisheries in Hackney, and jeweller to the stars Stephen Webster’s flagship store in Mayfair. We create ambitious designs that reflect the surroundings focused on how people use spaces and flow through a building. Working closely with our clients, our team of architects and interior designers realise your brief and aspirations to create a successful and memorable guest experience.
Design begins with feeling – for place, for the past, for the needs and wants of the now, and for a future that matters. It listens. It empathises. It’s pragmatic. It’s an understanding that informs everything we do. It makes buildings that work – truly, beautifully. This is how we approach all architecture and design projects, in London and beyond.
An architecture and design practice is nothing without its people, and the very best practices are those in which everyone has a voice – however different it may be. We are extremely fortunate Hollaway is exactly this: an extraordinary bunch of thinkers, talkers, and doers. These are the people that get buildings made.
Some places live or die on their ability to tell a bloody good story. The interior design of the temporary sited Gin Works in Kings Cross’s old gasworks building is one such place. A London gin distillery, an interactive gin-making laboratory, and a bar and restaurant. The experiencing key to Gin Works is a copper bath suspended above the bar, which serves as the talking point for the story of Prohibition’s underground gin-baths. It’s a wonderful example of how a single and seemingly leftfield decision knits the experience of an entire building together.
Hollaway’s approach to architecture and design always starts with people and place. How does a building contribute to the community it will inhabit? How will people interact and engage with the architecture created in this space? Under his leadership and hands on approach Guy Hollaway has created a design-led Practice committed to innovative building solutions, with work ranging from prestigious one off commissions to large scale regeneration projects.
The RIBA award-winning architecture and design practice has built its reputation working on a wide array of projects, including a cutting-edge skate park, the world’s first heritage theme park, a bespoke artist’s studio in an open field, and a high-end seafood restaurant. The breadth of these projects may be wide, but each one brings the perfect balance of playfulness and sincerity, with a firm focus on placemaking, sustainability and the experience of the individuals who will use the space.
London
10A Acton Street WC1X 9NG
+44 (0)20 7096 5425
Kent
The Tramway Stables, Rampart Road
Hythe CT21 5BG
+44 (0)1303 260 515
The Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, London
Designed by the renowned theatre architect, the Hackney Empire was Frank Matcham’s masterpiece. Originally the Theatre was designed for the Head Quarters of Stoll’s Theatres, however, after the building work had already begun Stoll decided to build a West End mega-theatre instead. After this change, Matcham reenvisioned the building without the office space and altered the front of the building.
Built in 1901, Hackney Empire was initially known as a Music Hall and Variety policy. It later became known as a Grand Theatre with a large auditorium and multiple balconies. The auditorium’s ceiling was designed to allow a section to be slid back to aid ventilation. This is a perfect example of Matcham’s work in London.
The Empire Theatre’s main entrance is flanked by a series of arched columns and a central balcony, which is flanked by towers. The elevation changes little towards the Grove. The ground story houses the entrance to the pit-stalls. The lobby has a central hall with a frieze and a ceiling that has a pair of windows. The walls are decorated with mosaics.
The first flight of this double staircase goes up through the landing, and it continues up through the arched openings in the ceiling. The second flight goes through the crushroom and the pit-stall entrances. The walls are adorned with paintings of various genres, each of which represents a different aspect of the theatre. The various entrances and staircases leading from the Grove are also accessed through the auditorium’s balcony. It is one of the largest auditoriums in the Metropolis.
The floors are covered with thick, cork and Wilton carpets. The grand circle has wide, curved rows of seating.
The auditorium has seven rows of seats on the balcony. The top gallery, which is located over the balcony, is not stopped round the sides, and is joined by a series of side columns. The centre arch, which is suspended an electrolier, is also located on the balcony.
The main ceiling of the auditorium has a circular roof with a sliding door at the centre. It is filled with paintings of various allegorical works. The auditorium has two entrances and a fire curtain.
By 1963, the Theatre had been sold to Mecca. Despite being painted over in Mecca’s usual colours, the auditorium was not altered physically.
In 1984, the building was granted a Grade II status. The owners, Mecca, had been faced with the dilemma of restoring the domes and the rest of the Facade to its original state.
They took down the domes and central pediment but planned on replacing them with substitutes. However, due to the constraints of the listed building consent, they were forced to go back and replace the parts that were already demolished.
The Variety Programme for the Hackney Empire was a recreation of the Music Hall era in 1956. Unfortunately, the building was later put up for sale.
Theatre company I C.A.S.T. purchased the building establishing a preservation Trust for it and a management company called Hackney Empire Ltd. They also set about the restoration of the theatre.