Get Your Free Desk At The Trampery Republic – London’s Newest, And Hottest Space For Creatives?

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London-based bootstrapping entrepreneurs tired of skipping meals and working out of cramped, expensive offices with questionable hygiene are being given a chance to secure one of twenty free desks at a luxurious new co-working space next to East India DLR station, with 9,00 square feet of workspace, and a wrap-around roof terrace offering spectacular views of Canary Wharf, the City of London and the Thames.

The Trampery Republic is based around a re-development of a 1990’s office complex, which has been transformed, its creators say, into a “contemporary East London landmark”, and it is the first workspace to open as part of the Republic London project.

Charles Armstrong, founder of the original Trampery, has described the Trampery Republic as “year-long experiment bringing together creative innovators from different sectors and stages of development in a spectacular location.”, and called it “a unique cocktail for new ideas and creative cross-fertilisation”.

As a response to London’s “cost-of-living crisis for emerging creatives”, The Trampery Republic says that it is “committed to providing facilities free of charge to the most talented early-stage ideas” and as such it will be offering 20 desks at Republic to early-stage innovators completely free for the entire period that the project is slated to run for, from January 2017 to January 2018.

The desks will be awarded through a competitive selection process, with applications reviewed by a panel that will include Trampery founder Armstrong, and Jack Schulze, the founder of Playdiation, a studio developing cinematic games, who are also set to be the first start-up to call the new premises home.

Besides, Schulze, Playdiation has been founded by well-known figures from the technology and design sectors, Nick Ludlam, Timo Amall, and Chris Lee.

Fans of the more social, not to mention exclusive, networking side of the start-up eco-system will also be attracted by a members’ lounge overlooking the River Thames, and for the inevitable gatherings, or “Meet-ups” of thrusting young entrepreneurs and “wantrepreneurs”, disrupting, innovating, and changing the world we live in, there is also an event venue, which affords yet more spectacular views, which can hold up to 50 people.

Besides the 20 free desks, there are 30 more available “for more established projects, start-ups, designers, artists, producers and others developing bold new creative ideas.”

So, categorically not a place to sit around scratching your ass then!

The call for applications to grab one of the desks on offer is now open and will remain open until midnight on 15th December.

There is also a drop-in afternoon being held for anyone interested in checking out the space and admiring the views.

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The Trampery Republic is located on a 6.4 acre island site in the London Docklands, part of the “migration to the east”, for digital start-ups

Considering that some projects that were supposed to secure the future of London as a global tech hub appear to have stalled somewhat (ahem…Here East, anyone?), it is  a testament to London’s tech start-up community that once again they have succeeded in finding affordable space and a place to nurture creativity and business acumen, where it seemed there was none.

Republic itself is a 600,000 square feet office development that also houses retail and leisure facilities, plus 471 car parking spaces, situated on a 6.4-acre island site in London’s Docklands.

The location, The Trampery’s founders say, “anticipates the eastward migration of the creative and digital sectors and cultural institutions, such as the English National Ballet’s move to London City Island and Olympicopolis in Stratford”, and, good news for commuters, it is situated within Zone 2.

They also point out that Docklands is host to the London Internet Exchange, and is “one of the main conduits for internet traffic from the US to Europe,” as well as having a “strong cultural heritage – the grassroots Trinity Buoy Wharf has been host to local artist studios and cultural bodies since 1996”.

The Trampery itself played an instrumental role in establishing one of the first start-up co-working spaces to appear within the “Silicon Roundabout” region back in 2009, when “Tech City” was still waiting to be formally launched by then Prime Minister David Cameron – remember him?

The Trampery is structured as a social enterprise, with HRH the Duke of York as patron, and partners with London & Partners, the mayor of London’s press office, media agency Publicis, and the Barbican, with whom, they say, they will be launching a new initiative at the Republic premises in the New Year.

All in all, a welcome boost for London’s digital, creative and start-up community, even if it means Shoreditch hipsters may have to get used to a longer commute to work and some new banker neighbours over the river in Canary Wharf.

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