Mainyard Studios - Enfield

I’ve been a lease holder of a studio at 58b Alexandra Road since the building opened 3 years ago. During this period, I have found the studio that I lease very satisfactory as a platform for not only generating my creative work but also has the added attribute of having the amenities and flexible conditions to accommodate a professional work environment. In general, the building has been well-maintained and serviced through the period I’ve been here and the other leaseholders (7 leasehold studios in the warehouse) have usually comprised of a diverse range of individuals and businesses centred around their own creative initiatives; such as for example, artists, fashion designers, photographers, to name a few.. Thus, bringing an interesting vibrancy to the building. The surrounding road and area compromises of many industries, from offices/studios for all sorts of various businesses and many industrial workshops; and the area is very connected by local transport so not to make it feel so out of the way from Central London (Brimsdown Station to Liverpool Street Station - 20 mins). All in all, my personal experience as a leaseholder over the past 3 years has been very satisfactory.

I would actually give 2.5 / 5 and The Stars are for the space alone as it was adequate for its purpose. The upper level has a pitched roof so worth keeping in mind if you need full ceiling height, wasn’t an issue for me. The electricity bill wasn’t very expensive, roughly £15-20 per month but I was only there 4 days per week (not overnight). Unfortunately that’s where the positives stop. I was not told upon signing an agreement that 3, now 4 men, would be living their full time. Personally I felt it was more like shared accommodation instead of the ‘creative community’ I was lead to believe. We all got along quite well but had I known this before, I wouldn’t have signed the contract. I would say that There’s enough space for 4 cars at best, not 6 as described, it’s next to a garage and shares the small carpark with 2 other businesses. If you were lucky enough to fit 6 cars, you would always be blocking someone in which becomes quite disruptive while working. This was always an issue for me, parking on the street outside was not an option for me. I was very alarmed to discover that There had been two security issues whilst I was there, a carjacking in the car park (to one of our tenants) & a group of men wearing balaclavas in the carpark (I was told this by another tenant recently). I did not feel safe staying after dark. Mainyard management did not raise these issues with us and I had to find out through other Tenants. The surrounding area is very dirty and littered with rubbish from fly tippers. The most recent tenant is using the space as a doss house, partying until the early houses and throwing cigarettes from his window to the floor directly below. We raised this with management and I believe they are dealing with this tenant. As people are living there full time i found it became dirty very quickly, the kitchen especially. They do have a cleaner (who was lovely) however I believe she only comes once per week and no cleaning was done in-between this time by the people living there. I felt that the owner came across very unprofessional on WhatsApp, thankfully he stepped back after a few months. The Wi-Fi rarely worked for me, I always used my personal hotspot. A new person/office manager joined a couple months towards the end of my contract who was really nice to work With, if only he joined sooner. Overall I did not enjoy my experience at Mainyard and found it very stressful.