GB 2110 BSB - Brixton School of Building

Identity area

Reference code

GB 2110 BSB

Title

Brixton School of Building

Date(s)

  • 1902-1979 (Creation)

Level of description

Extent and medium

2 boxes

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

The London County Council School of Building was opened on 26th February 1904 to provide a specialist training college for the large number of building workers in Camberwell and Lambeth. The Lambeth Polytechnic building in Ferndale Road, Brixton was renovated to contain workshops for painting and decorating, carpentry and joinery and a drawing office. When it opened in 1904, 643 students enrolled on classes covering stone carving, plasters' modelling, drawing, chemistry and physics of building materials, land surveying and levelling.

The School soon gained a world-wide reputation as a centre of excellence in the fields of town planning, building technology, estate management and building architecture. In 1906 a school of architecture was added which was organised by Professor Beresford Pite of the Royal Academy of Art. Demand for courses increased rapidly so that in 1908 the School added a Junior Day Technical College for Boys and then a Senior Day Technical School as well as a new extension in 1909.

In 1910 five-year courses were introduced in all trade subjects, followed in 1911 by a four year course in reinforced concrete and in 1912 a course in structural engineering all examined by the City and Guilds of London Institute. In 1922, Sir Robert Blair (LCC Education Officer) wrote, '…the Brixton School is easily the first and most complete school of building in the world'. The Board of Education classified the School as a College of Further Education in 1928 and the following year a three year day course was introduced leading to the Ordinary and Higher National Diploma in Building or the Intermediate Examination of the Royal Institute of British Architects or the Chartered Surveyors Institute.

In 1943 it became the Brixton School of Building and after the Second World War the School rapidly expanded so that by 1949 the number of full time students exceeded 400, studying courses in architecture, surveying and structural engineering. In 1956 Brixton was designated a regional college, and the governors decided not to concentrate on work at higher levels, but to retain its craft work and lower level teaching.

Under the government's policy for higher education, given in the White Paper 'A Plan for Polytechnics and Other Colleges', published in 1966, the higher level studies at Brixton would have to be continued within a new institution based on the polytechnic model. Brixton School of Building became part of the Polytechnic of the South Bank in 1970, along with the Borough Polytechnic, City of Westminster College and the National College for Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering. Five of the six departments from Brixton became the new Polytechnic's Faculty of Construction, Technology and Design. The sixth department, along with some work from other departments formed the Vauxhall College of Further Education. The faculty moved into a new building on the Wandsworth Road in 1972, a decade after the first draft schedule of accommodation was made.

Archival history

GB 2110 BSB 1902-1979 Fonds level 2 boxes Brixton School of Building
London County Council School of Building

The London County Council School of Building was opened on 26th February 1904 to provide a specialist training college for the large number of building workers in Camberwell and Lambeth. The Lambeth Polytechnic building in Ferndale Road, Brixton was renovated to contain workshops for painting and decorating, carpentry and joinery and a drawing office. When it opened in 1904, 643 students enrolled on classes covering stone carving, plasters' modelling, drawing, chemistry and physics of building materials, land surveying and levelling.

The School soon gained a world-wide reputation as a centre of excellence in the fields of town planning, building technology, estate management and building architecture. In 1906 a school of architecture was added which was organised by Professor Beresford Pite of the Royal Academy of Art. Demand for courses increased rapidly so that in 1908 the School added a Junior Day Technical College for Boys and then a Senior Day Technical School as well as a new extension in 1909.

In 1910 five-year courses were introduced in all trade subjects, followed in 1911 by a four year course in reinforced concrete and in 1912 a course in structural engineering all examined by the City and Guilds of London Institute. In 1922, Sir Robert Blair (LCC Education Officer) wrote, '…the Brixton School is easily the first and most complete school of building in the world'. The Board of Education classified the School as a College of Further Education in 1928 and the following year a three year day course was introduced leading to the Ordinary and Higher National Diploma in Building or the Intermediate Examination of the Royal Institute of British Architects or the Chartered Surveyors Institute.

In 1943 it became the Brixton School of Building and after the Second World War the School rapidly expanded so that by 1949 the number of full time students exceeded 400, studying courses in architecture, surveying and structural engineering. In 1956 Brixton was designated a regional college, and the governors decided not to concentrate on work at higher levels, but to retain its craft work and lower level teaching.

Under the government's policy for higher education, given in the White Paper 'A Plan for Polytechnics and Other Colleges', published in 1966, the higher level studies at Brixton would have to be continued within a new institution based on the polytechnic model. Brixton School of Building became part of the Polytechnic of the South Bank in 1970, along with the Borough Polytechnic, City of Westminster College and the National College for Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering. Five of the six departments from Brixton became the new Polytechnic's Faculty of Construction, Technology and Design. The sixth department, along with some work from other departments formed the Vauxhall College of Further Education. The faculty moved into a new building on the Wandsworth Road in 1972, a decade after the first draft schedule of accommodation was made.

The majority of the records were acquired on the amalgamation of the Brixton School of Building into the Polytechnic of the South Bank in 1970. Additional material was donated by a former student.

Contains the records of the Brixton School of Building. The collection has been arranged into the following categories:

BSB/1 Works in Converting the Baths in Ferndale Road into a Technical Institute, 1902;

BSB/2 Prospectuses, 1936-1971;

BSB/3 Historical Publications: three publications charting the history of the School, 1955-1979;

BSB/4 Magazines: issues of the School's in-house magazine, 1955-1958;

BSB/5 Distribution of Prizes and Exhibition Work: programmes listing the students receiving awards in different categories of study, 1948-1960;

BSB/6 Syllabuses, Course Notes and Examination Papers: syllabus information for courses in Public Health Engineering, course notes for teachers on a variety of subjects and exam papers for internal and external examination, 1953-1970;

BSB/7 Administration: papers on various courses provided by the School, 1960s;

BSB/8 Professional Publications: a booklet regarding metrication of the UK construction industry and journal articles regarding Public Health Engineering written by a staff member 1963-1977;

BSB/9 Photographs, c.1910-1930s.

The collection is catalogued.

The collection is available to the public, except for records restricted under the Data Protection Act. Please contact the University Archives Centre for details. 24 hours notice is required for research visits.

Reproduction is at the discretion of University Archives Centre staff
English
http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/archivescatalogue

The London Metropolitan Archives holds the following records:

Plans of Brixton School of Building, Ferndale Road (Catalogue Reference: GLC/AR/BR/19/1559);

Photos of Brixton School of Building, 1911-1976;

Reports of the Education Officers Department of the London County Council, 1914-1954.

The National Archives holds records on Brixton School of Building, created by the Department of Education and Science, 1945-1967 (Catalogue Reference: ED 114/1265).
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997. December 2009. Academic buildings Brixton Brixton School of Building Building operations Construction engineering Educational buildings Engineering education England Europe Ferndale Road Higher education institutions Higher science education Industrial education Lambeth London Students Technical education Technological institutes UK Universities Western Europe Educational institutions

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

The majority of the records were acquired on the amalgamation of the Brixton School of Building into the Polytechnic of the South Bank in 1970. Additional material was donated by a former student.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Contains the records of the Brixton School of Building. The collection has been arranged into the following categories:

BSB/1 Works in Converting the Baths in Ferndale Road into a Technical Institute, 1902;

BSB/2 Prospectuses, 1936-1971;

BSB/3 Historical Publications: three publications charting the history of the School, 1955-1979;

BSB/4 Magazines: issues of the School's in-house magazine, 1955-1958;

BSB/5 Distribution of Prizes and Exhibition Work: programmes listing the students receiving awards in different categories of study, 1948-1960;

BSB/6 Syllabuses, Course Notes and Examination Papers: syllabus information for courses in Public Health Engineering, course notes for teachers on a variety of subjects and exam papers for internal and external examination, 1953-1970;

BSB/7 Administration: papers on various courses provided by the School, 1960s;

BSB/8 Professional Publications: a booklet regarding metrication of the UK construction industry and journal articles regarding Public Health Engineering written by a staff member 1963-1977;

BSB/9 Photographs, c.1910-1930s.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

The collection is catalogued.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

The collection is available to the public, except for records restricted under the Data Protection Act. Please contact the University Archives Centre for details. 24 hours notice is required for research visits.

Conditions governing reproduction

Reproduction is at the discretion of University Archives Centre staff

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

The London Metropolitan Archives holds the following records:

Plans of Brixton School of Building, Ferndale Road (Catalogue Reference: GLC/AR/BR/19/1559);

Photos of Brixton School of Building, 1911-1976;

Reports of the Education Officers Department of the London County Council, 1914-1954.

The National Archives holds records on Brixton School of Building, created by the Department of Education and Science, 1945-1967 (Catalogue Reference: ED 114/1265).

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

London South Bank University

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area