19 Princelet Street

In the gorgeous surroundings of Leighton House in London's Holland Park, TRIO GOYA launched with a beautiful benefit concert for us. We were so touched and grateful to Maggie Cole, leading harpsichordist and fortepianist, who with Kati Debretzeni on violin and Sebastian Comberti on cello performed music by Haydn and Beethoven.  Trio Goya donated all proceeds to support the invaluable work done by 19 Princelet Street.

Some 10,000 visitors in just a handful of openings each year proves the extraordinary attraction of this haunting site, and its overlapping histories of different peoples. Many came because of this web site, or by word of mouth, so do tell your friends!

Special visits are arranged for schools, universities, refugees and other groups. We are actively seeking more funds, to be able to welcome more people who want to experience this special place.

This unique site was included in the National (and London) Buildings At Risk Register published by English Heritage, July 2002. English Heritage recognise this Grade II* listed building as among the top listed builings in the country. We are very grateful to them for technical help, for their commitment to our plans to preserve the site and give it new purpose, and for their grant of £30,000 towards vital works and technical investigations.

Tassaduq Ahmed MBE died on 8 December 2001.  Tassaduq had found refuge in London in 1953, after leaving Sylhet.  He was a local hero, who worked selflessly for others, and a self-declared adoptive brother to Susie Symes. A founding trustee of this charity, making a multicultural museum celebrating diversity was just one of his cherished projects to help both the British Bangladeshi community and all of us to build lasting human relationships and to share fairly and equally in this land.

We made emergency repairs and put in steel props to support the upper floors (to stop the Rodinsky attic collapsing). We constantly monitor the site, to prevent any deterioration. We are grateful to English Heritage and Tower Hamlets Borough Council for their grants in support of these works, and thank the many friends and other donors whose donations helped fund the work.

Congratulations to Hajera Begum aged 14 of Harpley School for the winning poster, which will be displayed on the DLR and buses in East London.  Hajera's work was part of the splendid Hidden Art Schools Project 2001, run by Mazorka Projects, in which over 2,000 pupils in Tower Hamlets, Islington and Hackney made pictures inspired by local buildings and architecture.  We were thrilled by the quality of work made here by children from Christ Church School, St Matthias School and Harpley Special School..