the grand – megan piper and future plans

Megan Piper is the new CEO of Grand Arts CIC, which focuses on the public access areas of the famous Folkestone landmark. With 10 years of curating The Line in London, Megan’s next task is to not only curate a plan of performance art, but to realise how the 34,000 sq foot of public space can be renovated for the future. Folkelife met in The Green Room to talk about the plans.

“I’ve lived in Folkestone since 2021 and became a resident of The Grand in 2022.  At that time I was commuting up to London for my job in Stratford.  The commute was easy, only 45 minutes from Folkestone, whereas previously we had been in Birmingham, where the commute is not so much fun! 

“My husband, Jonathan, and I were looking to relocate from Birmingham when he retired, and I was having a weekend away on the Kent Coast for a little break.  Whilst sitting in a restaurant by the sea in Broadstairs, reading my book, eating nice food and having a glass of wine, I was wondering why my life wasn’t always like this?  So I texted Jonathan and said ‘Why don’t we move to the Kent Coast?’  We quickly landed on Folkestone because we’ve both always loved the town.”

the grand’s reputation

“We rented for the first year, and I do have to say our estate agent said not to touch The Grand with a barge pole.  But by the time we moved in, the leaseholders had bought the freehold back.  The position of the building was being stabilised.

“I think, as is often the case, when you have a group of people who are galvanised around a cause, there is the most amazing community of residents that live here making something happen.  Perhaps the nature of its history has attracted a lot of creative people?

“We have the Tosti International Singing Academy here in the summer, for the second year running.  This was set up by Matthew Rose, a resident here, and is an opera singer.   He was here the other week with the Luxon Amit Singing Academy, so we had ten young conservatoire students here.  There’s a lot of music events happening at The Grand.   But we have many other things going on too.  There are other residents who are artists in many different disciplines; we’re planning a Proust exhibition with photographer Mayotte Magnus in 2027, which will include a talk by Emre Araci who authored The Grand Revisited, and we will include a dinner with some Madeleines!”

Photo Credit: Portrait of Megan Piper by Igor Emmerich, The Grand Interiors by Valerie Sadoun, Top image of The Grand by Dirk Seyfried, Image of The Grand from the side by Valerie Sadoun.

cultural programme

“In April 2026, we launched our cultural programme, including visual arts.  The Grand is never going to be a gallery, and it shouldn’t be, but I have spent the last decade of my life dedicated to improving and democratising access to art.  It’s important to me that art is part of our everyday experiences.  So you can come to Keppels for a drink, or a meal and there will be artwork on the walls.  If you are here for a concert or yoga, then there will be artwork to see too. 

“We are building our portfolio of what’s available here.  Our focus is on performing arts, wellness and events.  You can book The Grand for a wedding, or for a talk.  We want to be another venue in town that supports the creative focus of Folkestone.” 

the grand cic

“The Grand CIC is the company that leases The Ballroom, The Green Room and The Dining Room from the residential leaseholders.  But if you look at all of the spaces that have the potential to be public, it adds up to nearly 34,000 square foot. There is a garden level space under The Ballroom and The Green Room which is huge, and has great potential.  

“There have been lots of ideas floating around as to how to use this space, and in 2023 there was an idea of selling off the garden level spaces and converting them into holiday lets.  By the time I left The Line in the summer of 2025, this still hadn’t happened. 

“I feel really passionately about the cultural programme here, and that the spaces we have are an asset for the community.  I feel they should be enjoyed, not sold off for private use.  We should be opening the doors and bringing people in, and finding new ways for the spaces to be used.  All of these new ways can broaden the programme we offer. 

“Having set up a charity before, and I’ve spent the last ten years of my life fundraising and creating an organisation and the infrastructure for it to survive, I thought I could help. I really love setting things up.  There’s a kind of magic to those early years where everything is possible and you are building a community around an idea and bringing everyone on a journey.  That for me is exciting, yes, daunting too, but that’s what drives me.”

executive director

“The Board of the CIC – Grenville Hancox, Giles Croft and Aicha Mehrez – appointed me the Executive Director.  It’s important for us to be a home for different activities, but for there to be a cohesive nature to what we are doing.  If you come to The Grand, you want it to be a whole experience, so drop in to Keppels for a drink pre-concert, or finish there afterwards.  Keppels is now led by Executive Chef Harry Johnson and has a new menu and drinks offer. Our website now has everything under one roof, as it were, so that feels more cohesive already. 

“In January 2026, we launched our Founding Supporters Programme.  I worked with the Board to put together a vision and strategy for what we want to realise here.  We raised funding to commission architects Haworth Tompkins to do a sketch feasibility study for the public areas of the building.  There are a lot of fundamental challenges we need to work through, and we need to think carefully how to adapt the building for best use.  For example, at the moment, we don’t have sufficient toilets to serve the space we have.  The Ballroom and Dining Room have capacity of 250 people, and there simply are not enough toilets!  

“But as well as that, if we want to have performances as part of our established programme, then we need green room facilities for artists before and after they perform.  Haworth Tompkins have experience adapting heritage architecture, and they have a dedicated performing arts team.  Together we have been working out what the building needs to function successfully as a performing arts venue.”

the plans

“We have plans now that give top level costings for what these works would be.  We have been thinking of the garden level space as studios, in the broadest sense of the word.  It’s important that we don’t have too fixed an idea of how these spaces will be used as we want to engage people in ideas for their development.  This is not a detailed design, it’s a sketch feasibility study. 

“In March 2026, we presented this to the leaseholders.  They own the freehold of all of these spaces so we need them to be on board. Overall, there was overwhelming support for what we were proposing.  Obviously, there were questions, but the mood in the room was incredibly supportive. 

“There’s a lot of work to do before we can progress plans.  We’re expanding the board of the CIC, exploring setting up a charity, and we will need to negotiate a long-term lease with the freehold company.  We need to host a community consultation, invite people in to talk about what the future could look like.  Then, of course, we need the capital campaign, and then the works start.”

stage by stage

“Everything needs to be done in stages. One area will help fund the next and working in phases will help us realise the dream.  We hope to be submitting for planning permission in the spring/summer of 2027, and then there will be at least a year’s work in phase one.  

“In the meantime, the cultural programme continues.  We need to raise awareness of what’s happening here at The Grand.  You might have known about the music, or about the yoga, but there are so many other things that happen here too, including film events, talks, meditation courses and so on. 

“The Grand CIC needs security in its plans and then we can start fundraising.  I would hope, by the end of the year, we would have a clearer view.  In the meantime, do come and experience The Grand and all that we have on offer.”

Photo Credits: Keppels At The Grand by Thierry Bal, Directors of The Grand CIC and Megan Piper by Igor Emmerich, The Grand Basement areas by Giles Croft, Sketches by Haworth Tompkins, Food at Keppels