In the past 12-13 Shafestbury Square was a disused building, for over a decade, compounding the dereliction of the area, once regarded as the golden mile.
Today, and since Accidental took the building over, it has been a hive of artistic and community activity and a home to all. Primarily self-funding and rent paying, it has survived the most challenging times— the pandemic, post-pandemic era, and the tsunami of rise-in-living-costs that followed. All-the-while supporting artists in our community earn livelihood and survive in a chronically underfunded sector. Meantime, many organisations have come and gone. Accidental’s intention has always been to make it an asset in perpetuity.
Concerned with the future, we are making an application to own this building as a community asset. Otherwise, Accidental could be gone tomorrow. And given everything we’ve seen of the last decade, if not a community asset, chances are 12-13 Shafestbury Square could be another chain cafe store, adding one more to the many that now predominate the city. 12-13 Shafestbury Square should be a permanent asset for artists and the community, a home for all. It could be. Help make this a reality by answering the following questions: