Trowbridge Gardens is a council owned affordable workspace studio and creative hub, operated by Arbeit Projects that is home to 30 artist studios, social enterprises and local businesses.

Arbeit Studios operates 20 creative workspaces across London, with Trowbridge Gardens, as its flagship site. In 2019, Hackney Council launched ‘Wick Workspaces’ to repurpose underused council assets and provide affordable spaces for creatives who were out-priced due to redevelopment. Arbeit Studios was selected to activate Trowbridge Gardens with a seven-year meanwhile lease.

Arbeit created a vibrant ecosystem of facilities including; a wellbeing gym, podcast studio, Café, gallery, and affordable workspaces. Hackney Herbal maintains the sanctuary gardens, working with NHS referrals and local residents. Arbeit also runs creative and business workshops, offering everything from upcycling and drawing classes to free one-on-one accountancy and marketing support for local SMEs.

Furthermore, the site hosts diverse activities; from parent coffee mornings and senior podcast shows to exhibitions by community groups and youth clubs. Over the years we held over 500 events, benefiting around 5,000 participants and making Trowbridge Gardens a vital community asset.

According to a Social Value Report done in 2022, for every £1 spent on the site, we generated a £6 ROI in social value for the local economy.

In 2023 we were awarded The Wick inaugural Creative Placemaking Award and in 2025 the Love Hackney Business of the Year Award.

Trowbridge Gardens has been a great opportunity for us to create a unique space in Hackney Wick and respond to a real need to give local residents and businesses genuine long-term engagement.

By giving access to previously closed spaces, Hackney Council has allowed the local community to re-discover its area and helped with re-imagining how facilities could be better used.

Working with the council we have managed to curate a good mixture of users that consists of existing tenants, local at risk businesses, non-profit organisations, and local artists and designers.

During Covid-19 we have faced new challenges, but together with the council we have found a way to relieve most of the pressure from our members and offer them the support needed.