About us
Watermans is West London’s arts centre. Our mission is to bring communities together through cultural practice and to enrich lives through the arts and creativity. As an independent charity. We believe the arts is for everyone and this is at the heart of everything we do.
Our Programme
Watermans has closed the arts centre ahead of its planned move to a new building. For nearly 40 years it has presented a year-round programme of cinema, theatre, exhibitions and workshops. Watermans is currently focused on delivering its programme outside of the building with an international outdoor performance programme at Bell Square, Hounslow and a community programme through its leadership of the Creative People & Places Hounslow consortium. This programme of events and activities reaches tens of thousands of people. These are often people who would otherwise enjoy little or no arts provision. By working with them Watermans helps to build community through the arts.
Our new venue
Our new central Brentford venue will feature two cinema screens, a media lounge, a 350-seat flexible theatre space, a contemporary art gallery focused on new media art and a studio.
Watermans across Hounslow
Discover Bell Square, our outdoor arts venue in Hounslow Town Centre, where we present fortnightly free performances May-November and the major Arts Council-funded Creative People and Places Hounslow programme. Our on-going vision is to build a confident, colourful and creative Hounslow. You can read more about our Creative People & Places Hounslow work here.
Watermans is a social enterprise and holder of the Social Enterprise Mark. This means that any money we make is ploughed back into providing events and opportunities to take part for the whole community.
Watermans is also an independent charity. You can find out about our income streams, board of trustees and much more on the Charity Commission website here.
Watermans believes it isn’t just important to reach audiences, but to encourage audiences to take part in the Arts too. This idea drives everything we do. It means that there are always things to do here for people from all walks of life. At Watermans, we make a point of catering for minority groups, disabled groups and marginalised groups. Also, this means that we treat these groups just like everybody else. We give them the same access and opportunities but we also have the same expectations for them.
Our team delivers an extensive learning and participation programme for young people which offers over 2000 sessions per year with attendances of over 50,000. Programmes are typically focused on creative skills development, raising aspirations and introducing young people to creative employment opportunities.
Watermans is passionate about taking arts and culture outside to places where people naturally gather, such as at the outdoor venue we operate in Hounslow: Bell Square. Or seeking out new audiences in places where you don’t usually expect to see the Arts, such as our leading role in Hounslow’s Creative People and Places programme.
Come and visit – we look forward to welcoming you!