The Loom

Designed by Holland and Hannen architects, Loom House was built as a wool storage warehouse for Browne & Eagle Limited in 1889. At the time of its construction, wool was the chief import into the Port of London. The wool, produced by the Merino sheep of Australia, was transported from Melbourne and Sydney by clippers, the fast sailing ships of the nineteenth century that traversed the world’s major trading routes, before being traded, probably at the wool exchange on Coleman Street.

Due to changing patterns of trade and the toll of two world wars, by 1954 tea and crude oil had replaced wool as the main imports into London. No longer required as a wool warehouse, Loom House was used for paper storage and later by a wine distributor. In the 1980s the building was converted to provide warehouse space, workshops, studios and office accommodation for Whitechapel’s businesses, artists and craft workers. It became known as New Loom House.

In 2013 Helical acquired New Loom House and began the task of transforming the existing building to create a new kind of place for modern work and life – The Loom. Helical commissioned the award-winning Duggan Morris Architects to help them realise their vision for The Loom. The architects’ design explores and reveals the Grade II listed building’s history while introducing modern interventions that breathe new life into the building.

The Loom embodies our flexible approach to leasing, with both traditional leases and fully fitted “plug and play” options available for occupiers. The plug and play option provides new and growing businesses the opportunity to flexibly occupy a beautifully fitted space, ready for immediate occupation and with options to grow or contract within the building.

A range of optionality enables either an all inclusive approach, with one simple monthly payment covering cleaning, maintenance and all other essential office requirements, or occupiers can opt for a more bespoke approach depending on their needs. With access to the building’s range of amenities including bike store, showers, communal hub and a programme of internal events, our flexible approach at The Loom has since been expanded across several other buildings in the Helical portfolio with great responses from tenants.