The Peckham Experiment

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The Peckham Experiment To preserve, share and explore the heritage and legacy of The Peckham Experiment. A Pioneering study into positive health and society, from 1926-1950.

Celebrating Black History Month: PIONEERING PECKHAM: 100 YEARS ONPlease join us tomorrow for a day exploring a remarkabl...
16/10/2026

Celebrating Black History Month: PIONEERING PECKHAM: 100 YEARS ON

Please join us tomorrow for a day exploring a remarkable pocket of Peckham history, where the lives and work of Dr Harold Moody and the Peckham Experiment unfolded within a few streets of each other around Queen’s Road and St Mary’s Road.

Join us at St Mary Magdalene Church for the exhibition opening and short talks from 1pm, followed by a drop-in exhibition and conversations from 2–5pm.

The exhibition brings together stories of health, civil rights, heritage, identity and belonging, looking at the Peckham Experiment alongside Dr Harold Moody, the pioneering Peckham GP and founder of the League of Coloured Peoples.

Saturday 17 October, 1–5pm
St Mary Magdalene Church, St Mary’s Road, SE15
Free to attend. Drop in throughout the afternoon.

A collaborative event by Peckham Vision, Peckham Heritage, St Mary Magdalene Church and The Peckham Experiment CIC, with contributions from SCHWeP.

Made possible in part by a Southwark Council Black History Month award to The Peckham Experiment CIC. Southwark Council Black History Month UK

We’re in Milton Keynes, tomorrow our Creative Director Nina Farrell joins Concrete Futures for Modernist Buildings at MK...
14/10/2026

We’re in Milton Keynes, tomorrow our Creative Director Nina Farrell joins Concrete Futures for Modernist Buildings at MK Gallery, Milton Keynes, hosted by Heritage Network.

Speaking on the panel Caring About & Caring For Modernist Buildings, Nina will explore the relationship between the Pioneer Centre’s architecture and the radical ideas about health, freedom and community it was built to support.

She’ll discuss how our work with archives, former members and contemporary artists is opening this history to new perspectives, using the centenary to ask what these ideas might contribute to the design and use of shared spaces today.

The day brings together architects, heritage specialists and community groups for talks, tours and workshops exploring community-led futures for modernist buildings. Heritage Network

PEX100: A Place to BelongThis November, we’re taking over Copeland Gallery to mark 100 years since the Peckham Experimen...
02/10/2026

PEX100: A Place to Belong

This November, we’re taking over Copeland Gallery to mark 100 years since the Peckham Experiment began.

In 1926, doctors Innes Hope Pearse and George Scott Williamson began a radical experiment in Peckham to study health itself.

At its heart was a question that still feels urgent today:

What does it mean to be truly healthy?

PEX100: A Place to Belong brings together archive photographs, films, documents, objects and the voices of former members, alongside contemporary art and new creative work.

19–22 November 2026
Copeland Gallery, Peckham

More over the coming weeks.

24/09/2026

Were you lucky enough to meet Ken Marley on one of our Open House tours last Sunday?

Ken, now 96, joined the Peckham Experiment just after the war, aged 15, and returned to the Pioneer Centre for Open House 2026 to share some of his memories with us.

Here he is talking about the cycling club he started with friends at the Centre, the Pioneer Race Club, which continued long after the Experiment closed.

It was a real pleasure to have Ken with us for the afternoon. Huge thanks to Ken and his daughter Kate for coming along and sharing so much.

More from Ken, and more stories from the Peckham Experiment, at PEX 100: A Place to Belong at Copeland Gallery this November.

NEW FOR OPEN HOUSE: PEX SWIM HATS Our new PEX silicone swim hats are here: high-quality, hypo-allergenic, one-size-fits-...
16/09/2026

NEW FOR OPEN HOUSE: PEX SWIM HATS

Our new PEX silicone swim hats are here: high-quality, hypo-allergenic, one-size-fits-all and made for proper swimmers, occasional dippers and anyone who just wants to look the part.

£10 each, available exclusively from us at Open House this weekend.

Every hat sold supports The Peckham Experiment CIC and helps us to continue to bring this extraordinary story back to life.

And this year, buying one helps us even more. We’re part of the Southwark Local Access Partnership Trade Up Programme, delivered by with support from Southwark Council. As we grow the money we earn through things like merchandise and tours, we can unlock Match Trading funding to put straight back into our work.

Come for the building. Leave with a swim hat.

The calm before the storm! This weekend we are hosting 8 guided tours of The Pioneer Building. Designed in 1935 by Sir O...
15/09/2026

The calm before the storm! This weekend we are hosting 8 guided tours of The Pioneer Building. Designed in 1935 by Sir Owen Williams and home to The Peckham Experiment, a radical study into health and well-being. Hosted by the resident-led PEX CIC. We look forward to welcoming you! Bookings are now full, check with open city for any cancellations. Link in the bio.Open City

OPEN HOUSE GUEST LIST WINNERSThank you to everyone who entered our Open House guest list competition. We’ve now randomly...
14/09/2026

OPEN HOUSE GUEST LIST WINNERS

Thank you to everyone who entered our Open House guest list competition. We’ve now randomly selected our four winners.

Congratulations to:

Saturday 19 September, 10am
Tim Boddy

Saturday 19 September, 4pm
Sophie

Sunday 20 September, 10am
Raquel Diniz

Sunday 20 September, 4pm


Please DM us to confirm your places.

If you can no longer make your tour, please let us know as soon as possible so we can offer the places to someone on our reserve list.

Thank you again to everyone who entered, and for all the interest in visiting the Pioneer Building.

Address

Pioneer Building
London
SE152EE

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