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Life was dangerous, drunken and relentlessly tough for the men who transformed the neighbourhood carving out the railways
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“Conversations about a Knowledge Quarter space have been kicked around since the Knowledge Quarter was founded, over a decade ago,” say the organisation’s CEO, Jodie Eastwood.
Formed to bring the cluster of educational institutions and innovative companies in the King’s Cross area under one profile-raising banner, the KQ now encompasses well over 100 members, ranging from the British Library and UCL to the local primary school and the Canal Museum.
With the likes of Covid, WFH trends and the implosion of WeWork all going down in recent years, you’d forgive Jodie and partners for kicking the workspace idea a touch further down the road, but instead the vision has just become a reality, with the opening of a huge new facility in the heart of Euston last week.
“It was thanks to a deep relationship with British Land – who have always been visionary and experimental with Regent’s Place – that made an idea a reality,” Jodie tells us. “You can see that with their incredible commitment in greening Regent’s Place over the years and their support for the local community. They came to us a few years back asking how they could support the Knowledge Quarter to continue to evolve as a place for innovation and collaboration. We jokingly said ‘by helping us create a KQ space’ and were shocked when they turned around and said yes on the spot. We then partnered with [King’s Cross purpose-driven workspace/incubator] Impact Hub, who brought the practical expertise and experience in managing a workspace and a fantastic ethos of supporting social enterprises and impact initiatives to make it happen.”
Regent’s Place is Euston’s glitzy mixed-use office quarter. Being flanked by some of London’s busiest transport arteries and its largest mega construction project (the HS2 site), plus the green expanse of Regent’s Park to the west, means the swish estate has sometimes felt a little isolated from Camden’s wider attractions. But a recent refocus – as a net zero city-centre campus for life sciences and innovation – has produced a flurry of activity by British Land that already looks set to bring the district forward into a dynamic new era.
Along with a long-term retrofit project for the iconic Euston Tower, large swathes of the public realm have been reimagined, with former office floors transformed into labs – and the new Impact Hub. As you can see from the photos, it’s a high-spec finish, including a 120-seat theatre, private offices, meeting areas and hot desks – offering somewhere thrusting AI startups can easily feel home – but also welcoming locals to step inside and get involved.
“We want to turn ideas into action and build a community where everyone feels valued and empowered to thrive.” says Lucy Cornell, Events Manager at Impact Hub London Euston. “My passion lies in curating experiences that not only bring people together, but also uplift and empower our local community. From networking breakfasts to climate talks, health seminars, and the legendary food talks, every event serves as a platform for meaningful connections, collaborative innovation, and tangible social impact.”
At the heart of the Impact Hub London Euston mission, and in turn that of the KQ and informing the new direction of Regent’s Place, is the concept of inclusive innovation. Success will be measured in how well the hub bridges the gap between the stratospheric opportunities of global science and technology, and the lived experience of people from the neighbouring local communities in Camden.
“When we talk about community, we want to connect residents, people from local housing estates people but also people from larger organisations such as the Googles of this world,” says Impact Hub London’s MD Devi Clark. “It’s really about how we build bridges. In our space, we will be offering some free memberships to residents in particular, people from underserved backgrounds, and also startup businesses.”
This part of London has sandwiched its residents between railway termini, goods yards and thundering main roads for generations, but as a result innovation has also found a home here, particularly around social housing models in Somers Town. Many problems remain unsolved, but finding a way to better avail locals of the opportunities all that travel infrastructure has also attracted here is vital. Could this hub finally bring down some of those ivory towers? Jodie certainly hopes so, too.
“Inclusivity is something we’ve been completely dedicated too since the offset,” she says. We’d love for this to be a place which connects our members with the community directly; a space the community can use on weekends, and we’re excited to work with Impact Hub to see how we can use it to support local entrepreneurs achieve their ambitions. For member organisations, our ambition is to make the hub a nexus for connection and collaboration for our members.”
With Impact Hub already established as a global accelerator for changemakers looking to produce meaningful social and environmental impact, the happy collision of missions here shows real promise. Offering such real-world access to enterprises and entrepreneurs committed to improving human lives and the health of the planet sounds like a huge opportunity for everyone in Camden. We suggest you head down there soon and play your own part in the story.
Find out more about desk space, hiring meeting rooms, state-of-the-art event spaces and the programme of community engagement events coming up via the website.
Impact Hub London Euston is at 1 Triton Square, London NW1 3DX
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