History of the School
In 1883, William Lancaster, an outstanding local benefactor and the grandfather of the well-known cartoonist and writer, Sir Osbert Lancaster, joined with other Putney citizens, including Baron Pollock and Sir Arthur Jelf, to form a committee with the purpose of founding an art school. The first location was in rooms over the parish offices in Putney High Street.
Although the rooms in the High Street were clearly unsuitable it remained here for the next 11 years. Eventually the school was threatened with closure by the Technical Education Board of the London County Council unless it found more suitable premises. It was at this moment of crisis that William Lancaster demonstrated his outstanding civic consciousness and generosity by buying a freehold site and erecting a purpose built art school at his own expense. Today this much loved building can proudly boast of being one of the few remaining Victorian purpose built art schools in London.
William Lancaster went on to become the mayor of Wandsworth in 1902 and 1903 and was later knighted for his services to the country.
The architect of the school was Thomas William Willis, a winner of the Architectural Association Tite Prize, who was still a young man in 1895. It is to him that we are indebted for the magnificent first floor studio with its great North facing studio windows and for the classical portico as we enter the building.
The new premises were formally opened on 2 October in 1895 by Sir Arthur Arnold, the chairman of the LCC. He said at the opening that `today art entered into everything`. He saw as a result of building such art schools the rise of English skilled craftsmen who could match the skills of craftsmen from abroad.
By the early 1900`s an internationally recognised school of water colour artists were centred on Putney School of Art. Among the many famous artists associated with the art school were George Martin , who was the official artist to the Shackleton expeditions; George Morrow a noted cartoonist for Punch magazine; George Ayling who exhibited at the Royal Academy, whose family were and remain well known boat builders in Putney; and Roland Batchelor who died in 1990 and who exhibited regularly in the Royal Academy and was noted for his witty water colours of rustic scenes in France.
Eventually in 1924 the art school was taken over by the LCC. Then by the ILEA in the 1960`s and subsequently by Wandsworth Council.
Since 1999 when Members of Wandsworth Council decided to manage the Art School in-house, the number of students has increased dramatically as well as the range of courses.
The Friends, formed at the same point in time have established a regular Newsletter, and organise public art exhibitions, lectures, and master classes. They have also re-established student prizes, which were first introduced by William Lancaster in the 1910’s. Student grants for developing projects are also available, funded by the Friends. The Friends meet regularly with council officers. They have also set themselves up as a charity.
From the beginning the Friends raised funds for the Art School. Initially this was to buy books for a new library. In 2009 government funding supported by funding from Wandsworth Council became available for major refurbishment work and the Friends set up its most ambitious fundraising programme to date and set itself the task of raising £60,000 towards the costs. Through individual contributions from the public, art exhibitions, raffles and major art auction which alone raised £16,000 this target was reached. These works not only saw a new studio built but a new lift that meant disabled students had access for the first time to all the studios. The students returned from a stay in temporary premises in November 2009 to a triumphal re-opening of the Art School. With the new facilities and the whole building redecorated the Art School felt like a new building with a new beginning. The Friends continue to raise funds for the Art School.
Student numbers increase annually and the Art School is now seen as very much part of the cultural life of Putney and of the ‘big society’.
