Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts

When the School first opened in 1898 on Peckham Road, Camberwell under the aegis of the London County Council, it offered day and evening instruction across a wide range of subjects from Architecture, Furniture Design, Life Drawing and Stained Glass Work to Dressmaking, Pottery and Typography. William Johnstone (1897-1981) was appointed principal in 1938. He soon established the reputation of the School as a fundamental influence on art development throughout the country when, after World War II, he brought together many of the notable artists formerly associated with the Euston Road School. These included William Coldstream, Lawrence Gowing, Victor Pasmore, Claude Rogers and William Townsend. The ethos of these artists was to last for a considerable time. Still, sadly like many other art establishments, the School saw its decline into an adjunct of a polytechnic when by 1992 it had lost its irreplaceable Fine Art course which had established its reputation.

It was amalgamated into the London Institute, which was again renamed the University of the Arts London changed its name upon being awarded university status in 2004. The University currently incorporates Camberwell College of Arts, (formerly Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts), Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, Chelsea College of Art & Design, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Art.

Number of Artists referenced: 577