An illustration of how the ‘centre for memory and learning’ will look in Penton Street

A DILAPIDATED townhouse which was a key site in the struggle against South African apartheid is set to become a “centre for memory and learning” after being awarded more than £250,000.

Islington’s links with the anti-apartheid struggle may not be widely known, but tucked away in 28 Penton Street, near Angel, there sits a building that served as the London headquarters of the African National Congress (ANC) between 1978 and 1994.

It stopped using the building in 1994 after leader Nelson Mandela became the first democratically elected black president of South Africa, ushering in a new constitution which ended apartheid – at least in the letter of the law.

Liliesleaf Trust UK, which now leases the property from the ANC Trust, has been awarded £251,030 by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to kickstart the project.

The house was the ANC’s London headquarters between 1978 and 1994

The trust is named after a farm in South Africa, a nerve centre of the anti-apartheid campaign, where Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada and others were arrested before the infamous Rivonia Trial, where they were all ­sentenced to life ­imprisonment.

“Those bricks hold so many stories,” said project director Caroline Kamana. “And they continue to hold so many stories around the co-ordination of the international struggle against apartheid.”

The Liliesleaf Trust plans to convert the building – which until now has been a residential property – into a centre “to support public access”, Ms Kamana said.

Number 28 Penton Street currently bears a green plaque marking it out as the ANC’s London headquarters.

However, the building “is not in an ideal state” after being out of use for several years, Ms Kamana said.

Nelson Mandela

“The spaces need to be reorganised for heritage and public engagement. We’ve recently been given planning permission by Islington Council to redevelop the building,” she added.

Under the plans, the garden will be redeveloped into a space for community education.

“I’m particularly excited about the ­garden because ­Islington has the ­second-lowest amount of green space for any London borough,” Ms Kamana said. As well as the ­garden, the building will be redesigned with space for exhibitions, ­sem­inars and an archive.

As part of the archive, the Liliesleaf Trust is planning to “put out calls for people who may have materials of any sorts – photographs, documents or objects – which relate to the struggle against apartheid,” Ms Kamana said.

Ahmed Kathrada and Walter Sisulu

“As part of the upcoming activities we also have an oral history recording programme, to ensure as many of these stories as possible are captured.”

For a long time, the trust has not had a permanent base, instead working closely with partners such as Islington Council, London Metropolitan University and the Caledonian clocktower to deliver its workshops. Once complete, the Liliesleaf Trust UK will be able to call 28 Penton Street home.

Ms Kamana hopes the centre will allow people to learn lessons from history.

“What’s really important is understanding how this struggle was successful, and the lessons we can take from that today,” she said.

“We’re focusing on the contemporary resonances of heritage, thinking about the ongoing injustices in society and equipping people – especially young people – with the kind of tools and pathways to make change themselves.”