Visit to Working Men's College, London
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An opportunity is offered for a limited number of members to visit WM College as part of "London Open House" on Saturday 13th September 2025.
We shall not have the building to ourselves and it is likely to be busy, with both prospective students and other members of the public visiting at the same time.
The College
The College was founded by Frederick Denison Maurice and colleagues in 1854, John Ruskin as well as a trio of Pre-Raphaelite painters being among its pioneer teachers. Fifty years later its service of adult education in the humanities for everyman moved to its current building on Crowndale Road, Camden Town. William Douglas Caröe’s design of 1904 completed construction early in 1906.
W.D. Caröe (1857-1938) was an almost exact contemporary of C.F.A. Voysey who also served his articles in the office of an architect of neo-gothic churches – John Loughborough Pearson – one of whose chief accomplishments was Truro Cathedral in Cornwall. Caröe’s own extensive output of new buildings consisted mainly of "Tudor Gothic" Anglican churches.
This background of apprenticeship under an architect of churches is perhaps the closest affinity between Caröe and Voysey, though the college building continues to boast details characteristic of the Art & Crafts Movement such as elaborate moulded plasterwork and the re-use of Georgian fireplaces transferred from its previous (long-demolished) premises on Great Ormond Street in Bloomsbury.
Working Men's College, Camden, Sunday, 24th July, 2016
Programme
All times following the start are approximate.
- 11.00-11.15: Entry to the College and registration.
- 11.15: Assemble in the Library, where the Principal will welcome all visitors, followed by brief illustrated presentations on the history of the College, its Edwardian building and its architects, and then a tour of the principal rooms of the College.
- 14.00: Farewell and disperse.
Please note that there are a lot of steps on the tour route.
Charges
There will be no charge for entry to the building, the presentations or the tour of the interior.
Food and non-alcoholic drinks may be purchased from the in-house café.
Directions
The College is located at 44 Crowndale Road, London. The postcode is NW1 1TR.
Mornington Crescent Underground station (Northern line, Charing Cross branch) is nearby. There is no provision for car parking on site.
How to apply
Please complete our online application form.
W.D. Caröe
Please note our photography guidelines. We shall assume that attendees consent to their own inclusion in photographs taken on the day unless they advise the group leader otherwise.
You participate in events at your own risk, and neither the Voysey Society nor its officers or other volunteers accept any liability whatsoever, however arising. The Society reserves the right to cancel, alter or postpone events if necessary. Before applying for an event, take into account any possible difficulty you may have because of weather, health or other conditions. In hot weather, consider bringing water and protection from the sun.
Photograph credits
- WM College building: photograph © Paul Harrop, under this Creative Commons licence
- W.D. Caröe: public domain image courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery
Page last amended 8th June 2025