Curious Minds @ Wigan Pier
A landmark new home for arts education, where curiosity leads the way
Working with Wigan Council, we are breathing new life into Pier 2, which is the oldest building on the Pier site and dates back to the 1700s. Once part of the town’s busy industrial waterfront, its brick walls and canal-side setting have witnessed centuries of change.
Known to many through George Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier, the area was once framed in the national imagination by the hardships of working-class life. Today, we are helping to write a different story – one that celebrates Wigan’s creativity, honours its working-class heritage, and presents it as a place of opportunity, innovation and cultural leadership. After years of standing empty, Pier 2 will soon be alive with creativity, learning and community, linking Wigan’s proud past with an ambitious future.
Curious Minds will restore and adapt the building with care. We are retaining its distinctive masonry, canal-side setting and historic character, while introducing accessible, flexible spaces designed for modern creative life. Improvements include recycled and re-used materials, sustainable design choices, and thoughtful details that invite people in and make them feel at home.
Rooted in Wigan, connected to the nation
Pier 2 will host creative projects, professional learning and cultural events. It will welcome Wigan residents, visitors, artists, educators and sector leaders. Step-free access, clear wayfinding, comfortable public areas and adaptable interiors will make it a space that works for everyone.
From here, Curious Minds will continue its national mission to strengthen arts education and support the teaching artists who bring it to life. For more than 15 years we have designed pioneering programmes, influenced policy and helped raise standards in cultural learning.
Pier 2 gives this work a physical heart – rooted in Wigan, reaching across England.
Making room for the future
Our plans reflect three guiding commitments. First, accessibility: the building will be easy to navigate, fully inclusive and welcoming to all. Second, sustainability: from construction to daily operations, we will minimise environmental impact and follow best practice on low-carbon design. Third, longevity: flexible layouts, adaptable infrastructure and careful preservation will ensure Pier 2 remains relevant and inspiring for decades to come.
Inside Pier 2
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G. Chance to See Studio
On the ground floor, this light-filled space will hum with energy and imagination. Children and young people will make, create, rehearse and perform alongside brilliant teaching artists from Wigan and beyond. It will be a place for friendships to grow and ideas to take shape, with direct access to the canal adding a unique backdrop to the creativity inside. -
1. Curious Works
A vibrant, first-floor shared workspace that brings Curious Minds staff, associates, teaching artists and young creatives together under one roof. It will be a place to exchange ideas, share resources and work side by side – a hub of activity where collaboration sparks new projects and possibilities. - 2. Curious Stories Gallery
High in the roof space of Pier 2, this light-filled gallery will showcase the work of young artists and host inspiring exhibitions. It will also serve as a flexible training and event space, equipped with digital tools for content creation and facilities for hybrid meetings, connecting people in Wigan with partners and audiences far beyond.
Future plans
Looking ahead, we hope to moor a fully renovated canal barge right outside Pier 2. This unique floating space will offer a memorable setting for learning, creativity and social connection. It could host small workshops, storytelling sessions, informal performances or simply provide a relaxed spot to meet, talk and share ideas, all while enjoying the atmosphere of the canal.
A home for creativity, curiosity and community
Pier 2 is to become a living, working hub for the people and ideas shaping arts education.
It will celebrate Wigan’s heritage while opening new possibilities for learning and cultural connection - drawing on the town’s pioneering history in arts education, and carrying that legacy forward to inspire the next generation.
I’m absolutely thrilled that we will soon call Wigan Pier our home. The Pier has long stood as a symbol of resilience, reinvention and northern pride. Curious Minds is honoured to be part of its next chapter - sharing it with local creative networks and using it as a base from which our charity can continue building a future in which every young person has the chance to thrive through the arts.
Derri Burdon, Curious Minds CEO
