What we provide
ARK is a coworking space in the heart of Kings Cross with community and collaboration at its core. We have lovingly restored an old church hall to create a vibrant coworking space for creatives, social enterprises and startups, understanding that community is just as important as productivity.
Think coffee shops, coworking spaces, artist studios or makers spaces. We work with churches and their buildings to create collaborative working communities in a way that impacts the local area for good.
Sectors we’ve worked in
About us
ARK is a coworking space in the heart of Kings Cross with community and collaboration at its core. We have lovingly restored an old church hall to create a vibrant coworking space for creatives, social enterprises and startups. Too many people are stuck working from impersonal coffee shops, shouty campuses or in the isolation of their bedrooms.
We think there is a better way - ARK provides an affordable alternative: a social enterprise that understands that community is just as important as productivity.
It all started when…
ARK’s story begins with TENT - When Kings Cross Church was given a disused office block in 2013 a couple from the church, Simon and Laura Willows, had the vision to create a community for coworkers in the space. Restoring old furniture and welcoming the local freelance community to work from TENT, the space flourished with creatives from all walks of life.
From TENT came ARK coworking, in 2016 we took on an old Victorian apartment building which was our home for six years, becoming a vibrant community of freelancers, remote workers, start-ups, social enterprises and charities.
In 2022 we moved into an old church hall on Carnegie Street, our current location. We restored it into a new home for our coworkers, and now welcome ARK members old and new to the ARK community.
Our Social Mission
We believe creative individuals benefit from working in a collaborative environment where they can thrive.
King’s Cross is an area undergoing considerable regeneration and is fast becoming an innovation hub - but this is making it harder than ever to stick around if you’re a little fish in a big pond. A lack of affordable community means individuals either end up working alone, or move away from a local area which inhibits innovation and employment. ARK is a response to this need.
Since opening the doors at ARK we have hosted tech start ups, illustrators, filmmakers, anti-trafficking organisations, screen writers, social enterprises that employ refugees, public sector startups, feature film production companies, architects and a even dating website for good. We’ve had the privilege of being part of the journey with these risk takers and social entrepreneurs.
Our mission:
• Supporting churches to increase the impact of their charitable objectives
• Restoring church buildings to be more effectively used resources
• Helping churches understand the needs of their local community and create spaces and projects for public benefit