Hearse and Coffin
Artwork by Sarm Derbois, on show at the end of year in City & Guilds of London Art School
The Art School’s Architectural Heritage
City & Guilds of London Art School occupies nos. 114-124 Kennington Park Road, a terrace of late 18th century houses, and 19th and 20th century studios built over the gardens behind. The terrace is Grade II listed and stands in the Kennington Conservation Area. The Art School has been on this site since 1879.
The houses at nos. 114-124 Kennington Park Road were built in 1788, as part of the first wave of urbanisation in this area. They were designed as one half of a gateway development to a planned grand square by the builder Michael Searles. The projected plans were never fully realised, and the development of the square was carried out on a much-reduced scale, becoming what is now Cleaver Square. Although originally designed as a middle-class street, the growth of London in the Victorian era and the flight of prosperous families to suburbs such as Clapham and Brixton led to a decline in the area. While the 19th-century occupants of the Georgian houses are unknown, it seems quite possible that they were lower middle or working class.
In 1879, the South London Technical Art College (City & Guilds of London Art School since 1937) moved into nos. 122-124. Its predecessor, the Lambeth School of Art, had been founded nearby specifically to be close to the Doulton potteries, in order to provide art education to local workers (and mainly women). The first studio sheds, located behind nos. 122-124, were built shortly after 1879. These structures, shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1894, had timber truss roofs. Later on, between 1918 and 1939, the Art School expanded into nos. 118-120, and new studios with steel frame trusses were constructed in the gardens behind. No. 116 Kennington Park Road was purchased by the Art School in 1974, while the final property of the six, no. 114, was acquired in the late 1980s, allowing the stone yard area to be developed.
21st-Century Developments
Since 2010, the Art School has embarked on an ambitious programme of renovations and enhancements on its Kennington site. The Masterplan for the project, established under the direction of Alan Higgs Architects, is based on a three-phase delivery:
Phase 1 (2010-2014)
Completed over five consecutive summers, Phase 1 consisted of the renovation and upgrade of the six terrace buildings, including refurbishing some 35 studios, creating the expanded Sackler Library, and improving circulation throughout. In 2012, the Foundation Department relocated to the adjacent 1930s Old Vauxhall Telephone Exchange building.
Phase 2 (2015-2016)
This phase involves the creation of a new entrance for the Art School by inserting a glazed steel canopy structure forming an atrium in the space between the Georgian terrace and the studio buildings. Following ground level works in 2015, summer of 2016 saw continued developments with the installation of the new roof structure.
Phase 3
The final phase will focus on a partial re-development and refurbishment of the studio buildings at the rear of the site, which increase the work spaces for creative practice while protecting the special character and the legacy embodied in its buildings.
[Open House London]
Hearse and Coffin
Artwork by Sarm Derbois, on show at the end of year in City & Guilds of London Art School
The Art School’s Architectural Heritage
City & Guilds of London Art School occupies nos. 114-124 Kennington Park Road, a terrace of late 18th century houses, and 19th and 20th century studios built over the gardens behind. The terrace is Grade II listed and stands in the Kennington Conservation Area. The Art School has been on this site since 1879.
The houses at nos. 114-124 Kennington Park Road were built in 1788, as part of the first wave of urbanisation in this area. They were designed as one half of a gateway development to a planned grand square by the builder Michael Searles. The projected plans were never fully realised, and the development of the square was carried out on a much-reduced scale, becoming what is now Cleaver Square. Although originally designed as a middle-class street, the growth of London in the Victorian era and the flight of prosperous families to suburbs such as Clapham and Brixton led to a decline in the area. While the 19th-century occupants of the Georgian houses are unknown, it seems quite possible that they were lower middle or working class.
In 1879, the South London Technical Art College (City & Guilds of London Art School since 1937) moved into nos. 122-124. Its predecessor, the Lambeth School of Art, had been founded nearby specifically to be close to the Doulton potteries, in order to provide art education to local workers (and mainly women). The first studio sheds, located behind nos. 122-124, were built shortly after 1879. These structures, shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1894, had timber truss roofs. Later on, between 1918 and 1939, the Art School expanded into nos. 118-120, and new studios with steel frame trusses were constructed in the gardens behind. No. 116 Kennington Park Road was purchased by the Art School in 1974, while the final property of the six, no. 114, was acquired in the late 1980s, allowing the stone yard area to be developed.
21st-Century Developments
Since 2010, the Art School has embarked on an ambitious programme of renovations and enhancements on its Kennington site. The Masterplan for the project, established under the direction of Alan Higgs Architects, is based on a three-phase delivery:
Phase 1 (2010-2014)
Completed over five consecutive summers, Phase 1 consisted of the renovation and upgrade of the six terrace buildings, including refurbishing some 35 studios, creating the expanded Sackler Library, and improving circulation throughout. In 2012, the Foundation Department relocated to the adjacent 1930s Old Vauxhall Telephone Exchange building.
Phase 2 (2015-2016)
This phase involves the creation of a new entrance for the Art School by inserting a glazed steel canopy structure forming an atrium in the space between the Georgian terrace and the studio buildings. Following ground level works in 2015, summer of 2016 saw continued developments with the installation of the new roof structure.
Phase 3
The final phase will focus on a partial re-development and refurbishment of the studio buildings at the rear of the site, which increase the work spaces for creative practice while protecting the special character and the legacy embodied in its buildings.
[Open House London]