Hotwalls Studios

Hotwalls Studios Hotwalls Studios brings artists and makers together in an exceptional heritage location

This page is set up and run by the makers and artists in residence at the Hotwalls Studios. The website http://www.hotwallsstudios.co.uk is the official link for the studios and management. The beautifully renovated barracks have been transformed in to 13 working studios, which will allow you to watch some of the city's most creative individuals at work, and
where you'll be able to purchase professional pieces from the artists and makers themselves.

This weekend, come along to the first ever Pink Sofa Collective exhibition featuring artist's work in 'the space between...
07/09/2026

This weekend, come along to the first ever Pink Sofa Collective exhibition featuring artist's work in 'the space between', exploring the spaces between people, or places and things and transforming The Round Tower into a unique art show.

📆 Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th September
🕗 Sat: 10am-5pm Sun: 10am-4pm
📍The Round Tower, Hotwalls Studios, PO1 2FS

This week's Resident Artists Spotlight is Meg Naysmith! ✨Meg is a small environmentally conscious fashion & textile desi...
04/09/2026

This week's Resident Artists Spotlight is Meg Naysmith! ✨

Meg is a small environmentally conscious fashion & textile designer and brand aiming to fight against the textile waste crisis, and promote the circular slow fashion model to help build a more sustainable future of fashion, textiles and accessories.

At the core of Meg lies a passion for all things second-hand. I am drawn to any sign of wear and tear because it tells a story of the garment or fabrics’ previous life, which is something that should be cherished, enhanced and remembered. I believe a products use should be thought about as thoroughly as their design and manufacture. So, as designers, we should be trying to consciously create narratives for the things we are producing to enable consumers to build some form of lasting attachment and therefore put in the effort to prolong its life.



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's Between Land and Tide exhibition is this weekend! With a live performance on Sunday at 12pm ✨📆 Saturday 5th and Sunda...
03/09/2026

's Between Land and Tide exhibition is this weekend! With a live performance on Sunday at 12pm ✨

📆 Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September
🕗 11am – 4pm
📍The Round Tower, Hotwalls Studios, PO1 2FS



Between Land and Tide by 📆 Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September🕗 11am – 4pm📍The Round Tower, Hotwalls Studios, PO1 2FS...
28/08/2026

Between Land and Tide by

📆 Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September
🕗 11am – 4pm
📍The Round Tower, Hotwalls Studios, PO1 2FS

‼️Live performance on Sunday 6th at 12pm‼️

Between Land and Tide is a public art project bringing sculpture, performance, and community participation to spaces across Portsmouth.
Inspired by the sea, tidal ecosystems, and Portsmouth’s coastline, the work features sea born female guardians and a monumental starfish sculpture created from natural and sustainable materials. Through movement and performance, bodies merge with the landscape, shifting between human and sea-like forms.
The work explores connection, environmental fragility, and our relationship with the ocean, inviting audiences to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the natural world.

The programme includes public performances, workshops, and exhibitions taking place across Portsmouth.

Supported by
Arts Council England (National Lottery Project Grants), Portsmouth City Council, Portsmouth Creates, and partner organisations across Portsmouth.

Partners
Art Space Portsmouth · Hotwalls Studios · Fratton Together · City Arts Portsmouth · Sustainable Conservation Trust · Portsmouth Historic Quarter · Victoria Park Portsmouth

the space between by The Pink Sofa Collective📆 Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th September🕗 Sat: 10am-5pm Sun: 10am-4pm📍The Ro...
27/08/2026

the space between by The Pink Sofa Collective

📆 Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th September
🕗 Sat: 10am-5pm Sun: 10am-4pm
📍The Round Tower, Hotwalls Studios, PO1 2FS

Come along to the first ever Pink Sofa Collective exhibition featuring artist’s work in ‘the space between’, exploring the spaces between people, or places and things and transforming The Round Tower into a unique art show.


🌟Resident Artists Spotlight Day🌟Introducing , Studio 9 Ella Kilgour is a painter working mostly in oils on canvas but a...
21/08/2026

🌟Resident Artists Spotlight Day🌟

Introducing , Studio 9

Ella Kilgour is a painter working mostly in oils on canvas but also on paper using graphite, ink, and charcoal. Her work has a strong emphasis on colour and is anchored by a sense of light, place, and history. She uses a lively mix of contemporary and classical painting techniques and subject matter to create a feeling of ‘Old world meets New World’.

There are two main components to her practice. The first is painting portraits to commission, which makes up the ‘bread and butter’ of her income. She paints sitters of all ages (and animals), but she receives the largest number of commissions for portraits of children. Ella loves working with children as there is usually an opportunity to be both playful and colourful in designing these paintings.

The second part of her practice involves painting artworks for sale. She sells these works through several channels: online, directly to the public, and through galleries and exhibitions. This side of her work tends to be looser and more contemporary in style. It is creatively led and is quite broad in its scope, including landscapes, seascapes, still life, historical portraits, and some dreamy surrealist paintings. Ella exhibits in galleries throughout the year and runs workshops. She also sells limited edition prints and postcards.

Ella Kilgour shares a studio with Fashion and Textile Designer Meg Naysmith.

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Did you know what is now Hotwalls Studios started out as Point Battery and Barracks, which along with the Round Tower fo...
18/08/2026

Did you know what is now Hotwalls Studios started out as Point Battery and Barracks, which along with the Round Tower formed part of Portsmouth’s original military defences built to protect the port from attack by sea?

The Round Tower began as a wooden structure built between 1418 and 1426 on the orders of Henry V. In the 1490s the tower was rebuilt in stone. Point Battery and Barracks was first constructed in the 1680s as a line of ramparts that connected the Round Tower to the nearby Square Tower. They were reconstructed between 1847 and 1850 as a coastal artillery. The arches that now house artists’ studios had provided living accommodation for soldiers along with gun positions.

By the end of the Second World War, the Battery was decommissioned, and local artists started the tradition of selling art from the arches at weekends. In the 1960s, the site was purchased by Portsmouth City Council. In 2014 Portsmouth City Council, the Coastal Communities Fund and the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire provided funds to refurbish the buildings and turn them into working artists’ studios. Development of the site was completed in 2016.

This week we're shining a spotlight on the amazing , Studio 8 💫Libbie Coulson is a Jewellery Designer and Artist from D...
07/08/2026

This week we're shining a spotlight on the amazing , Studio 8 💫

Libbie Coulson is a Jewellery Designer and Artist from Drayton, and her business is named in memory of her late mother, whose birthday was the 26th of May.

Following a degree in Fine Art and a career in UX design, Libbie’s creative journey evolved organically, driven by her passion for colour and the joy of making tangible objects by hand. After years spent primarily behind a screen, she found herself seeking a more hands on creative outlet.

During lockdown, Libbie discovered polymer clay as a way to stay creatively engaged and keep her hands busy during an uncertain time. What started as a hobby – making gifts for friends and family – quickly turned into a deep passion for the medium and its endless possibilities. This passion led to the creation of 26th of May.

Libbie makes heartfelt, creative jewellery that blends thoughtful design with high quality materials. Specialising in semi-precious beaded necklaces & bracelets, and elegant, yet attention grabbing polymer clay earrings, each item is crafted with care, reflecting her passion for creativity and a commitment to celebrating individuality.

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'Place in a Fortress City' workshop with Scavenger Walk & Cyanotype Printing in Old Portsmouth📆 Sunday 26 July🕗 11am-2p...
03/08/2026

'Place in a Fortress City' workshop with

Scavenger Walk & Cyanotype Printing in Old Portsmouth

📆 Sunday 26 July
🕗 11am-2pm
📍The Round Tower, Hotwalls Studios Parade Ground, PO1 2FS

We will meet at the Round Tower and begin with a guided scavenger walk through the historic landscape. Along the way, participants will gather textures, shapes, and traces of the past to create cyanotype prints and rubbings. The workshop will conclude inside the Round Tower, where we will develop and reflect on the work made during the walk.

This hands-on, family-friendly session is open to all, and no prior experience is required.

Duration: approximately 3 hours.

Street parking is available.
By public transport, bus routes N25 (Broad Street), 23, and 3 stop nearby at Cambridge Junction.

Register your interest here : https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=fDBSAE1W3E-YeVpEbPbHRvGOdXWIRBdMgGIr1eVH1ilUNjY2U0c4QzE1MUdGMVNITTNXTjZQT09DTC4u

A new exhibition has been installed at The Windbreaks!Artists Camille Bach and Stephanie Morgan have been chosen to exhi...
03/08/2026

A new exhibition has been installed at The Windbreaks!

Artists Camille Bach and Stephanie Morgan have been chosen to exhibit their work at the gallery space on the promenade near Speakers' Corner for the next four months

Their work explores light, water and the coastal environment through contrasting styles. Camille's expressive oil paintings capture the changing beauty of seascapes and skies, while Stephanie's abstract works focus on the patterns created where light, wind and currents meet on the water's surface. Their complementary colour palettes and differing artistic approaches made them an ideal pairing for the exhibition.

This venture is a collaboration between , Portsmouth City Council and to celebrate the work of local artists and provide a new focal point on Southsea

The Windbreaks is proudly sponsored by VolkerStevin and Boskalis Westminster.


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The Hotwalls Studios
Portsmouth
PO12FS

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