Step into the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration opens on Friday 5 June and becomes the world’s largest space dedicated to illustration. The BfK team had a sneak preview and can report that it is a beautiful space, very welcoming and well worth visiting.
Situated at the base of the historic Dunard Engine House, entrance is through the shop, with 
Deeney’s Cafe to the left. Directly ahead you will find the UK’s first dedicated public Illustration Library, a comfortable space for visitors of any age with shelves holding hundreds of books, comics, graphic novels, picture books and zines. Visitors are encouraged to try their hand at illustrating, using prompts designed by illustrator Jay Cover, with opportunities to experiment using art materials, games and toys.
On the floors above are two special exhibitions. These are ticketed, one ticket giving access to both. Quentin Blake: Performance has over 100 original and rarely-seen drawings showcasing the theatrical influences on the centre’s founder. Included are illustrations from opening night performances, including his depiction of Laurence Olivier’s iconic turn in The Entertainer (1957), as well as original drawings for Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile (1978), inspired by the crocodile of Victorian Punch and Judy shows.
The exhibition also features Blake’s illustrations of works by Ancient Greek, Elizabethan and modern playwrights including William
Quentin Blake in front of his drawing of Waiting for Godot in Quentin Blake Performance at the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett, with highlights including Waiting for Godot (2021) and Aristophanes’ The Birds (1971).
Recent illustrations of characters in Macbeth as birds are on show for the first time, his distinctive scratchy line drawings offering a fresh take on the tragedy. Rarely seen preparatory material gives an insight into his working process, with illustrations for books including Angelo (1970) and Clown (1965), and cover designs for Punch magazine.
Visitors can also delve into the kaleidoscopic sometimes macabre world of British Sri Lankan multi-disciplinary artist, MURUGIAH in an exhibition of works inspired by Hollywood, sci-fi and 2000s pop punk.
Back on the ground floor, you’ll find a third exhibition, Queer as Comics. Curated by Paul Gravett, this is the first major exhibition on queer comic-making in the UK, spanning 1940s to the current day.
The Centre’s opening follows the redevelopment of a derelict 18th and 19th waterworks at New River Head in Clerkenwell, London, led by Tim Ronalds Architects. Support for the £12.5m project includes £3.75 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to money raised by National Lottery players. Other investment includes the London Borough of Islington and support from trusts, foundations and philanthropists.
Director Lindsey Glen says, ‘This Friday we celebrate a landmark opening: a permanent national centre for an artform that is used 
every day, all over the world, to share stories and ideas. We are so excited to welcome our first visitors. We hope to inspire them to look at the world afresh and empower them with new creative skills and tools of their own.
‘We’re so grateful to Quentin Blake, who has tirelessly championed illustration and spearheaded this project, to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and to the philanthropists and grantmakers who have made this possible. Thank you!’
The site’s unique multifaceted history of engineering, labour, natural resources and urban development is told through interpretation panels designed by illustrator Nina Chakrabarti. Playable benches designed by experts Play Build Play provide fun for families, whilst the Studio Garden, an enclosed play surface, will be available to visiting schools and open to the public on weekends.
The Windmill Base – London’s oldest surviving windmill – will feature pop-up displays of work created by the local community in conjunction with illustrators. The first residency will be a project on ‘Exquisite Bodies’ by local refugees and migrants in collaboration with featured illustrator MURUGIAH.
Finally, there are lovely new gardens to enjoy too. Designed by Sue Amos, the gardens are designed to create a biodiverse habitat in Islington, which apparently has the UK’s second lowest proportion of green space. Perennial flowers, evergreen shrubs and trees will dot small landscaped gardens, specially chosen to thrive in the site’s dry conditions. Plants have also been selected to reference illustration, including raw materials for inks, timber for charcoal and leaves for tracing.
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
1 Myddelton Passage, EC1R 1AG
Weds–Sun, 10am – 5pm.
- Quentin Blake: Performance, 5 June 2026 – April 2027
- MURUGIAH: Ever Feel Like…, 5 June 2026 – 31 August 2026
- Queer as Comics, 5 June 2026 – 4 October 2026
Tickets include entry to all exhibitions on the day of your visit: £16.50 adult / £6.60 child including donation.
Free for members. Annual membership from £45.
