Westland Gallery bids adieu to its current home as owner searches for the ideal buyer

The owner of Wortley Village's beloved Westland Gallery is selling its current location in the heart of the south London neighbourhood, but Al Stewart has strict instructions for the century-old building's new owner: Preserve its heritage and give back to the community.

Stewart took over the two-storey building at 156 Wortley Road in 2012 and turned it into a hub for local artists to showcase their work. He is the third owner of the nearly 140-year-old building and Stewart says it's now time to pass it on to someone new.

"I'm not going to let this go to someone who's going to turn it into offices, this has to go to someone who is going to give back to the village as well. Ideally, it would be another gallery, but as long as it's still used as a place where people can come to the village, wander over and visit other places on the street," he'll be happy, he said.

"We need this to be something that just fits in and is part of the village. I want a caretaker and somebody who's going to look after our building."

The building went up for sale for $1.1 million over the weekend. The gallery will remain open and move to Stewart's Westland South Fine Art Showroom, a few blocks south at 247 Wortley Road.

Stewart admits the decision to downsize wasn't easy, but after turning 65 a few months ago, he wanted a slower work pace and the ability to support his wife with her health issues. Running two locations was proving to be a challenge, he said.

The shop was established in 1886 as a painting company by William Westland and his son. It was initially a one-floor wood frame structure for more than three decades, until 1920, when the Westlands got a permit to add another storey, according to the book Old South Tales, authored by London realtor Jean Ramer in 2016.

In 1949, pharmacists, Eugene Lamont and Bill Perkins took ownership of the building and opened up a pharmacy. Thirty two years later, they closed the drugstore business and Lamont turned it into an antique store, which he operated until his death in 2011.

An elderly Lamont approached Stewart in 2006 to buy the building to turn it into an art gallery and the pair shared the space for a few years. After Lamont's death, Stewart did some renovations to its interior and started the present-day gallery.

"I think we've become a bit of a staple and people really do seem to appreciate that we're here. They understand how important it is for us to give back to the village, we're helping build the career of artists and introducing them into our neighbourhood and our city," said Stewart.

Others in the neighbourhood tend to agree.

Tracey Cambridge is co-owner of Impressions 148, a couple doors down from the gallery, and called the gallery a cornerstone of the Wortley Village's streetscape, adding the structure brought life into the neighbourhood during tough times.

"During COVID, they would constantly update the artwork. Everything else was locked down but people would be walking the street and it was a joy every few days to see something new in the window," said Cambridge.

Cambridge hopes another retail space can replace the gallery because it fosters a sense of community in the village which has lost two businesses due to arson in recent years, including Sha Choix, beside the Westland Gallery.

"When it's just regular office businesses, it doesn't have the same public presence and retail spaces create a feeling of safety," she said. "When you're walking in a neighbourhood and there's little businesses open and people around, everyone feels comfortable."

Wortley resident Jim Madden hopes the building's new owner will maintain the neighbourhood's "urban village character," such as cafes or restaurants which add to the walkability of the community, he said.

"Communities that preserve the character from history is great to have that retained, it gives us a sense of uniqueness and it's important," he said.

Stewart said he's willing to wait for the right buyer and has shows booked throughout fall.