A proposed community pavilion at Paddington Old Cemetery brings together food, art and everyday gathering within a historic landscape. The design draws its distinctive roofline from the neighbouring Grade II listed chapels, creating a contemporary space that supports a shared vision for their future.
Client: Community Initiative
Location: Paddington Old Cemetery, Queen’s Park and Kilburn, London
Local Authority: Brent
Plot Type: Historic Cemetery
Project Type: Community and Culture
Internal Area (GIA): 95 sqm
Structure: Hybrid mass timber (CLT walls, glulam roof)
Status: Feasibility, October 2026
At the centre of Paddington Old Cemetery, twin Gothic chapels stand within a landscape of mature trees and carefully arranged paths. Designed by Thomas Little in 1855, the buildings form the focal point of the cemetery’s distinctive horseshoe layout. Their ragstone walls, slate roofs and connecting carriage arches establish a setting in which any new architecture must be carefully considered, both as a building in its own right and as part of a larger composition.
Four Peaks Pavilion forms part of QPK at the Chapels, a community initiative seeking to bring new educational, cultural and social uses to this historic place. RISE Design Studio’s pro bono proposal explores how a new pavilion behind the chapels could support their revival, providing a welcoming setting for shared meals, creative activity and informal encounters between neighbours.
The pavilion’s form takes its cue from the four gables across the chapels’ frontage. Reinterpreted around a rotated square plan, these become four rising roof peaks. Positioned behind the central belfry, the pavilion remains largely concealed on the principal approach, gradually revealing itself through the existing stone arches. A slender glazed gallery connects the new space to the historic buildings.
Inside, an exposed timber lattice gives height and rhythm to the room, rising above a restrained palette of stone and concrete. Full-height glazing frames views into the cemetery, while a slate roof relates the pavilion to its Victorian neighbours. The compact interior accommodates a café servery and flexible space for dining, workshops, exhibitions and events.
A community kitchen is central to the wider ambition. Conceived as a resource for local residents, it could support affordable meals, cooking skills and opportunities for emerging chefs, while offering a place of connection for people experiencing isolation. The programme also seeks to welcome refugee and migrant groups, with space for local artists to exhibit and sell their work. Food and creativity become practical ways to bring different parts of the neighbourhood together.
The pavilion would complement the proposed uses of both chapels. The East chapel is envisaged as a U3A learning centre for adult classes and interest groups, while the West chapel would retain its memorial role alongside concerts, rehearsals and other respectful events. Together, the three spaces could accommodate the varied rhythms of community life while sustaining the cemetery’s continuing role as a place of remembrance.
Herb gardens and outdoor seating extend the pavilion onto a paved court, with accessible WCs and changing facilities proposed within the renovated rear link. Still at concept stage, Four Peaks offers a starting point for further community discussion: a small addition shaped by its surroundings and by the people it could serve.