Hornsey College of Art

Hornsey School of Arts was established in 1882 by Charles Swinstead, an artist and teacher who lived in Crouch End, Hornsey. With business in mind, he had already founded and run an art school in Hackney known then as the North London School of Art. Successful in his first venture he commissioned the building of Hornsey which is today located on the Cat Hill site that is now part of Middlesex University. Through various name changes the then Hornsey College of Art joined Enfield Technical College and Hendon Technical College to become Middlesex Polytechnic in 1973. The following year it was elevated to Polytechnic status and soon after became a University. During the inter-war years, the schools curriculum was composed of Fine Art, Advertising Design and Industrial Applied Art. It bravely continued its day-time classes during World War II and was one of only two London art schools that did not vacate the capital during the blitz.

Hornsey achieved a certain notoriety when in 1968 during the international student uprisings some of the staff and students occupied the Crouch End building. All night protests and sit-ins were organised which soon spread to similar art schools around the UK. During the six weeks that the riots lasted, Hornsey became the focus of debate about the method of art education and teaching in Britain. Hornsey was and still is afforded the blame for these disturbances that swept the student fraternity nationwide. Hornsey staff and alumni past and present include Alfred Daniels, Allen Jones, Norman Janes, D. P. Bliss, Derek Boshier, Peter Fluck, Roger Law, Martin Leman, Anish Kapoor, Ken Kiff, Paul Neagu amongst many.