The Hotwalls Old Portsmouth

The area known as the Hotwalls in Old Portsmouth has been used extensively over the years by creatives. Artists used the arches to showcase and sell their work mostly on weekends on an ad-hoc basis. William Lionel Wyllie (1851-1931) was a maritime artist who lived in Tower House Old Portsmouth. Many of his watercolour paintings are currently in the Portsmouth City Museum collection.
During renovation this past year we uncovered a notice on one of the interior doors advertising ‘Point Artist Exhibition’ from 1983. We would be interested in finding out more about the previous use of Hotwalls and photographic evidence if possible.
In more recent years the Round Tower was used for the first time to exhibit work by over 60 local creatives and organised by Strong Island.

Artist My Dog Sighs held a Free Art Friday event in 2012.The Square Tower run by Julia and Steve Hender regularly run Crafts in The Tower events.

Photographers including Paul Thurlow, Andrew Whyte, Johnny Black have used the Hotwalls as a backdrop for many fashion and wedding shoots.

With the opening of Hotwalls Studios we hope to continue this association with the creative sector and have great mix of artists, makers and designers taking over the 13 studios and many more coming down to take part in events and exhibitions.

 
All photos by Claire Sambrook unless otherwise stated on file name.
Links:
Photographer Andrew Whyte http://www.longexposures.co.uk/
Photographer Paul Thurlow http://www.paulthurlow.com/
Photographer Johnny Black http://www.johnnyblackphotography.co.uk/
Artist My Dog Sighs http://mydogsighs.co.uk/
Strong Island http://strongisland.co/
Square Tower – http://www.squaretower.co.uk/
Claire Sambrook http://clairesambrook.tumblr.com/