City and Guilds of London Art School

The City and Guilds of London Art School is one of England’s longest established art colleges having been founded in 1854 and was located in St. Oswald's Place close to The Oval cricket ground. It was started by Canon Robert Gregory of St. Mary's The Less Church in the diocese of Lambeth for the benefit of young mechanics working in local industry. It initially ran evening classes in basic drawing and design, however, after John Sparkes was appointed as Head in 1857, the School rapidly expanded and in 1860, the foundation stone for a new building was laid by the Prince of Wales. Originally known as the Lambeth School of Art the School was taken over by the City and Guilds of London Institute in 1879 and through changes of nomenclature including the South London Technical School of Art, it is now known as the City and Guilds of London Art School which came about in 1938. During the School’s formative years both teachers and students liaised closely with local industrialists particularly Henry Doulton (of Lambeth Pottery fame) all of whom sought to merge artistic ingenuity with the manufacturing process.

Famous alumni have included the potters Robert Wallace Martin and his brothers Walter Martin and Edwin Martin later to achieve fame as Martin Brothers. Others have included illustrators Arthur Rackham and Leonard Raven-Hill, painters Philip Connard, Henry Herbert La Thangue, Stanhope Forbes, Charles Haslewood Shannon and Glyn Philpot and sculptors George Frampton, Goscombe John and Frank Dobson. Its equally notable teachers have included sculptors Aimé-Jules Dalou, William Reid Dick, Edwin Whitney-Smith and James Butler and painters Bernard Dunstan, Sir Roger de Grey who acted as Principal 1973-95, and Michael Kenny, Principal 1995-99. After World War II the devastation of London and the UK, in general, prompted the establishment of Restoration and Carving courses to assist with the rebuilding London's damaged architecture. By the 1960’s the School had become more Fine Art orientated and in 1997 the Fine Art and Sculpture courses attained degree status. In 1873, while living in Lambeth, it is possible that Vincent Van Gogh attended drawing sessions at the art school.