This exhibition presented an archive of video recordings, ephemera and research centred around the history of Rectory Gardens— a squat-turned-housing cooperative in Clapham Old Town, less than a mile from Studio Voltaire. The project also followed broader campaigns to save local areas from being compulsorily purchased, charting the changes in Clapham over the last thirty years.

Rectory Gardens was severely damaged by bombing during WWII. In the late 1960s, squatters moved into the street and slowly renovated the houses. From the 1970s until the eviction in 2014, the street hosted an industrious community of artists, musicians, poets and unconventional ‘free thinkers’. This exhibition formed a collective memory of Rectory Gardens, emphasising the sense of community and cultural contributions of this unique place – one of London's last remaining squats.

This live research project was curated by Rectory Gardens Video Archive Group, including former and current residents as well as people interested in the housing crisis and alternative forms of living. The group selected all materials in the exhibition which included film footage, interviews, campaign posters, photographs and archive ephemera dating from 1970 to 2023. Good Things asked fundamental questions about how we live and how we relate to others in society.

Interviews with former residents chronicled a self-made oasis where time stopped and children were free to roam and play, revelling in its enduring freedom and community spirit—a space created 'for the people by the people.' Contemporary interviews with Vivienne Westwood and Maggie Hambling exploring housing, gentrification and culture were contrasted with housing demonstrations, the tranquillity of the street and its gardens. Throughout the exhibition, visitors were invited to contribute their own memories of Rectory Gardens and Clapham.

This exhibition formed part of Unearthed: Collective Histories, supported by Historic England’s Everyday Heritage Grants and Hartfield Foundation. Studio Voltaire’s programmes are core funded by the Studio Voltaire Council. With kind assistance from Raven Row, London.