Liliya Art Gallery at 158 Putney High Street has permanently closed its doors after just three years of operation, adding to the mounting crisis facing one of southwest London’s once-thriving retail destinations.
The contemporary art space, which opened in October 2021 with a mission to “provide a platform for engaging and innovative artists working in the fields of painting, sculpture and ceramics,” had been showcasing work by emerging international talent in its 1,385 square foot premises across ground floor and basement levels.
The gallery’s closure comes as the latest setback for Putney High Street, which is grappling with an unprecedented number of vacant shops. As of July 2024, 23 empty premises line what was once a bustling retail corridor, with the closure count steadily rising as businesses continue to abandon the area.
The timing of Liliya’s closure is particularly concerning as it sits adjacent to the former Bill’s Restaurant, which closed in 2023 and now appears to house squatters. This clustering of vacant units next to each other amplifies the visual impact of decline and creates what retail experts describe as a “blight effect” that can deter both shoppers and potential new businesses.
The situation has worsened dramatically this week with the closure of Simmons cocktail bar on Putney High Street, which shuttered just one month after the nearby Be At One cocktail bar closed its doors. The loss of two popular nighttime venues in quick succession has eliminated key evening entertainment options that helped draw people to the area.
A High Street in Crisis
The most common type of shop on Putney High Street is now a closed one. The situation represents a dramatic decline from 2018, when only three shops stood empty.
Business rates have been identified as the deciding factor when retailers look at rationalising their estates, with many businesses finding the combination of high rents and rates unsustainable. The recent changes to planning laws that created the new “Class E” designation have also contributed to the proliferation of fast food outlets – now numbering 16 – at the expense of traditional retail.
There are now so many fast food restaurants that even they are starting to complain about lack of business as people head to more bustling High Streets in Wimbledon, Richmond, Barnes, Wandsworth with less traffic.
Property Back on Market
The former Liliya Art Gallery space is now being marketed by James Ashley Commercial for £48,000 per annum plus VAT, with an additional premium of £40,000 required. The property particulars [pdf] describe premises “finished to an exceptional high standard with stone flooring, track lighting on both ground and basement levels,” highlighting the quality of the space that the gallery had occupied.
The listing suggests the space would be suitable for “a variety of commercial uses including retail, hair/beauty salon, café/restaurant, medical, or offices,” reflecting the broader trend of former retail spaces being repurposed for service-based businesses.
The closure of Liliya Art Gallery represents more than just the loss of another business – it symbolises the erosion of the cultural and creative spaces that once helped define Putney’s character. As vacant units continue to multiply and cluster together, the challenge facing local authorities and business groups becomes increasingly urgent: how to reverse the decline before Putney High Street loses its identity entirely.
No investment coming into Putney
While other High Streets in London – and even in Wandsworth – are receiving help and funding from the authorities, Putney is notable for its absence.
The Mayor of London’s new High Street Place Labs programme is designed to drive local investment, upgrade public spaces and ultimately “turbocharge productivity across the capital and add more than £100bn to London’s economy,” and has awarded 12 London Boroughs with £50,000 each – Putney was not one.
And just this week, Wandsworth Council formally announced its Growth Plan. The Plan lays out an ambitious decade-long investment strategy but leaves Putney entirely off the map.
While Battersea, Clapham Junction, Wandsworth Town, Nine Elms, and even Tooting are earmarked for housing, transport upgrades, and public realm improvements, Putney receives no commitments: no new housing sites, no infrastructure plans, no cultural funding, and no public realm schemes.
Small Ray of Hope
In a rare piece of positive news for the High Street, the former Barclays Bank building at 60 Putney High Street is currently undergoing renovation and will reopen as a children’s clothes shop, providing at least one example of new retail investment in the area.
