Beaufoy Institute (Kennington)

[Brixton Hatter]

Does anyone know this building?

It's a beautiful old red brick building (not a great pic of it here tho - you cant see the rest of the building and the rather grand entrance)that's been empty for as long as I can remember (cycle past it every day for last 5 years or so...). I think it used to be some sort of community arts/education place which provided arts and crafts training for poor people before the war.

recently fencing has gone up and it looks like it is about to be redeveloped. A quick search on the internet tells me that Lambeth are selling it, but I cant find anything else about it. Apparently there is a covenant on it, which means it has to retain its arts/education purpose - so hopefully no conversion into luxury flats...

Does anyone know what the plans for it are? Last thing I can find is from March 2007 which says "Beaufoy Institute and land proposals: sale of whole site on open market with buyers having to demonstrate their proposals meet the Institute covenant, and address local housing needs."

 

[Brixton Hatter]

It's on Black Prince Road by the way...

 

[bluestreak]

Does anyone know this building?

Apparently there is a covenant on it, which means it has to retain its arts/education purpose - so hopefully no conversion into luxury flats...

IIRC court judgements have overturned the need to councils to keep to the terms of convenants.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

IIRC court judgements have overturned the need to councils to keep to the terms of convenants.

FFS

is that really true?

If so, it's luxury flats then...

 

[lang rabbie]

I think the council are trying to come to a deal with the De Morgan Foundation to keep the building in some sort of education use including an Arts & Crafts Museum ...


http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/moderngov/ieIssueDetails.asp?IId=10872&PlanId=0&Opt=3#AI4363

 

[Brixton Hatter]

cheers for that LR - looks like a decision on it's future will be taken in Sept 2008. Still not quite sure why fences have gone up around the building though.

 

[Bob]

Does anyone know this building?

It's a beautiful old red brick building (not a great pic of it here tho - you cant see the rest of the building and the rather grand entrance)that's been empty for as long as I can remember (cycle past it every day for last 5 years or so...). I think it used to be some sort of community arts/education place which provided arts and crafts training for poor people before the war.

recently fencing has gone up and it looks like it is about to be redeveloped. A quick search on the internet tells me that Lambeth are selling it, but I cant find anything else about it. Apparently there is a covenant on it, which means it has to retain its arts/education purpose - so hopefully no conversion into luxury flats...

Does anyone know what the plans for it are? Last thing I can find is from March 2007 which says "Beaufoy Institute and land proposals: sale of whole site on open market with buyers having to demonstrate their proposals meet the Institute covenant, and address local housing needs."

I lived next door for about 4 years.

As I understand it the people who left it to the council said that it had to be used for educational purposes in perpetuity.

The council then passed it onto Lilian Baylis school (on the old site - next door to it). They didn't use it much and had to pay a fortune in maintenance / security so passed it back to the council in about 2001 or so.

Since then there's been this issue of what to do with it.

Basically the council can't find the money to use it for anything useful. So I assume they're selling it - and I'd guess that by terms of the covenant they'd have to invest it in something similar elsewhere.

 

[mort]

I live opposite and have been trying to find out what is happening for a while. Recently there have been growing rumours of 'luxury flats'. But i don't know if a final decision has been taken.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

it's just such a beautiful building, there's loads of space inside it - looks like one/two large halls then a few rooms on the side and an upstairs. surely there must be a good use for it, loads of good community/educational uses for example, like was originally intended:

Arts and crafts were a major industry in the local area from the 19th Century through to at least the 1950s. Local people were able to benefit from training at the Beaufoy and obtain work in local factories, such as Doultons. Possibilities for careers in arts and crafts have lessened over the past 30 years because of the increasing demand for academic qualifications for art schools. The difference, for example, between a woodworker and a furniture designer, is having an idea and making a drawing. Arts/crafts/media should be as accessible to all as they were in the 1950s when some of the UK’s greatest designers and practitioners were training. RCDT will assess all proposals for the future of the Beaufoy buildings and site in the light of whether they help foster training in arts/crafts/media equipping local people for jobs in these industries as well as fostering an appetite for life-long learning.

 

[editor]

Does anyone know this building?

It's a beautiful old red brick building (not a great pic of it here tho - you cant see the rest of the building and the rather grand entrance)that's been empty for as long as I can remember (cycle past it every day for last 5 years or so...). I think it used to be some sort of community arts/education place which provided arts and crafts training for poor people before the war.

There's some good stuff on the Lambeth landmark site:

The Beaufoy Institute in Black Prince Road was relocated here when the original charity school in Doughty Street (now Newport Street) was partially demolished due to the widening of the mainline railway into Waterloo Station from 1898. The Institute was opened in 1906 under the administration of the London County Council and was expanded in 1930, becoming a technical institute for boys. It was also used to train women during World War II as metal-workers to ease the labour shortage in munitions factories. .

A stone plaque on Beaufoy Institute in Black Prince Road. The inscription beneath reads: 'This principal stone was laid by Mildred Scott Beaufoy wife of Mark Hanbury Beaufoy, Chairman of Govenors, 21st February 1907. F.A. Powell Architect, Sculpt Nixon'. Another tablet below was relocated from the original Beaufoy-funded Lambeth Ragged School and reads: 'Those that do teach young babes, Do it with gentle means and easy talks'. The Institute was opened under the administration of the London County Council and was expanded in 1930, becoming a technical institute for boys. It was also used to train women during World War II as metal-workers to ease the labour shortage in munitions factories.

.1940

Tutors at the Beaufoy Institute, Black Prince Road, Lambeth. The technical institute was used by the Ministry of Labour to also train women in general engineering practice. This course lasted 6 weeks as women were urgently required to fill labour shortages in the munitions factories.

http://landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/display_page.asp?section=landmark&id=7219

Do a searc for Beaufoy and there's some archive images there too.
http://landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/display_page.asp?section=landmark&id=7218

 

[Bob]

I live opposite and have been trying to find out what is happening for a while. Recently there have been growing rumours of 'luxury flats'. But i don't know if a final decision has been taken.

Vauxhall Gardens or Ethelred? I lived in Vauxhall Gardens for four years - Pella House.

Sadly I hear the Vauxhall street post office is being closed - I'd guess given the number of pensioners who queue outside it that it might take down several of the other shops with it.

 

[Dj TAB]

cheers for that LR - looks like a decision on it's future will be taken in Sept 2008. Still not quite sure why fences have gone up around the building though.

I think it's because several attempts have been made to squat the premises....

'tis a lovely building, it would be a shame to sere it raised to the ground...

 

[Brixton Hatter]

I think it's because several attempts have been made to squat the premises....

Hmmm....it would make a wicked squat.... There was a security guard standing outside the building today!

They can't possibly demolish the building though - there's a massive car park behind big enough to stick loads of yup flats on so hopefully the building will stay, whatever happens.

Some more photos here:

Better view of the front entrance:

Close up of the stone carving (although railings annoyingly in the way):

From the side:

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Sadly I hear the Vauxhall street post office is being closed - I'd guess given the number of pensioners who queue outside it that it might take down several of the other shops with it.

I think they're trying to close the one on Lambeth Walk as well....

 

[lang rabbie]

The building is listed (Grade II)

Some more about the sculptor of this panel here.

[Interestingly it got missed from the otherwise fairly complete inventory of sculpture in Lambeth on the Public Monuments & Sculpture Association website]

I think the Lambeth Landmark text has the order wrong, and suspect the panel was moved from the old school along with the other tablet when the railway was widened.

 

[r0bb0]

http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/threads/346925-Lambeth-Council-sells-the-Beaufoy-Institue-Black-Prince-Road-Kennington-SE11?p=11678272#post11678272
Lambeth Council sells the Beaufoy Institue, Black Prince Road, Kennington, SE11

Get your wad out chaps, and purchase on saturday

Dear Neighbours,
As you may know, due to cuts to our funding made by the Government we have been forced to dispose of various sites in order to protect our frontline services.
To keep you informed I wanted to let you know that the council will begin the process of selling the Beaufoy site on Black Prince Road on Saturday. Please see the attached pdf for further details.
If you have any questions about this disposal then please do let me know.
All the best
Steve

Cllr Stephen Morgan

I'd insert the .PDF but I don't have a clue
http://se11actionteam.blogspot.com/2...-for-sale.html

 

[r0bb0]

I'd love to see "by terms of the covenant" sounds like they were gifted it and now they're lining the pocket

 

[ViolentPanda]

I'd love to see "by terms of the covenant" sounds like they were gifted it and now they're lining the pocket

From what was said above, the covenant stipulates educational use, so the only buyer will be someone who'll continue to use it as a school, one hopes.
Same thing happened with my old school (Sir Walter St. John's on Battersea High St), which is currently a fucking prep school for the offspring of Chelsea-ites. Expect Beaufoy to go the same way.

E2A. Used to take the piss out of Beaufoy pupils because the did "horse-riding" as a games choice.

 

[r0bb0]

Oh dear

"the covenant stipulates educational use, so the only buyer will be someone who'll continue to use it as a school, one hopes"

on the pdf it says "Planning: Maybe suitable for residential conversion and development, subject to the usual consents"

 

[Gramsci]

a few shots of sculpture

"Those that teach young babes Do it with gentle means and easy ..."

100+ years ago they thought this was important. Now its all to be flogged off due to Bankers.

The stone with the inscription at bottom of the sculpture looks older than rest of it. Is this correct? Sure Lang Rabbie would know. Does it come from the old school in what was Doughty street?That was demolished for Waterloo station.

 

[Gramsci]

Really good sculpture. Now its to be sold off. Tragic. I wonder what the people who made it and those who got it commissioned would think.

 

[happyshopper]

Great pictures.

The building is listed Grade II, which should give it some protection.

There's more information about the building on the Lambeth Council website here

 

[Winot]

Pevsner doesn't have much to say:

BEAUFOY SCHOOL ANNEXE (formerly Beaufoy Institute), Black Prince Road. 1907 by F. A. Powell. Brick and terracotta with a typical free treatment of Baroque motifs.

 

[Gramsci]

Great pictures.

The building is listed Grade II, which should give it some protection.

There's more information about the building on the Lambeth Council website here

Thanks. I was cycling by a few weeks ago. It was morning and the sun was shining. So took a few pictures.

 

[nagapie]

From what was said above, the covenant stipulates educational use, so the only buyer will be someone who'll continue to use it as a school, one hopes.
Same thing happened with my old school (Sir Walter St. John's on Battersea High St), which is currently a fucking prep school for the offspring of Chelsea-ites. Expect Beaufoy to go the same way.

Maybe it can become Lambeth's first free school with Katharine Birbalsingh!

 

[Gramsci]

jesus she has her own website:

http://www.katharinebirbalsingh.com/

what a massive ego

 

[Gramsci]

she really is a Tory. See here on her views of teaching history:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/k...ma-bin-laden-was-no-worse-than-the-americans/

"These teaching materials were essentially presenting evidence to justify terrorism. And the idea, let me remind you, was to teach this in history lessons, in place of teaching children about Churchill or Wellington. In the face of such ludicrously biased teaching material, how can our children possibly have come to a balanced historical conclusion?"

Really?

From her website:

"She wants the children in her care to have a sense of responsibility, to have a sense of ownership of their school, their lives, and their futures.

Katharine has held a number of leadership roles in schools. She has appeared on TV, radio and in the newspapers, detailing her views on the changes needed in the education system."

typical teacher then.

 

[Gramsci]

http://katharinebirbalsingh.com/pages/to-miss-with-love.php

shes a Tory.

What a mixed up world we live in. Looking at the cover of her book and her photo u would think she was a typical urban liberal Guardian reader.

Sorry this thread has gone a bit off the subject. But I thought id check her out as id heard of her before but didnt know much about her.

 

[nagapie]

Sadly she's also a Brixtonite.

There's a protest against this free school outside the Sun and Doves tonight at 5pm.

 

[Gramsci]

is the free school going to be in Lambeth