Hundred House Coffee & Gather
Founded in 2016 by Matthew Wade and Anabelle de Gersigny – both fine art and Royal College of Art graduates – Hundred House Coffee is a small micro-roastery supporting the arts through industry.
Supporting the arts was a founding principle of the company. As the business has grown, Matthew and Anabelle have been looking to start a new project that is self-sustaining but involves the community – and this is where Gather comes in. Gather is a coworking space from Monday to Friday, with creative workshops and low-key events in the evenings and at weekends.
The sister companies are now located on a site that was originally a school and part of the workhouse, and then a maternity ward that is greatly missed. Hundred House Coffee and Gather want to ensure they run a respectful, community-led, educationally driven project that really brings something original and contemporary to Ludlow.
Matthew and Anabelle felt a gap in provisions and support for creative development and practice, and through Gather are providing a space for production and productivity that they feel currently does not exist.
Weaving the non-profit, Gather, into the day-to-day activities of Hundred House Coffee is something that came instinctively to the team, and to which they are committed. The project is source funded by Hundred House Coffee; however, the aim is
for the project to be self-sufficient to secure its future – creating something that lasts and serves the community long term and that remains in touch with the next generation and creative community needs.
Workshops taking place at Gather will be run by and aimed at local makers and producers, and there will also be a series for school age participants. They will be very varied, covering different creative practices from ceramics through to horticulture.
Events will be led by local makers and members and will include artist talks, animation screenings, book clubs (for children and adults) and film clubs. The cowork offers a range of facilities including printers, a small photo shoot area, a meeting room, bike racks and beautiful views to soak up the day. For further information please visit morethanacowork.com, and for delicious coffee visit hundredhousecoffee.com.
Photos © Andy Hughes