Toynbee Hall
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Toynbee Hall is the original university settlement house of the settlement movement. Founded in 1884 in Commercial Street, Whitechapel in the East End of London, it is still active today. A centre for social reform, Toynbee Hall was founded by Samuel and Henrietta Barnett with support from Balliol and Wadham colleges at Oxford University, and named after their friend and fellow reformer, Oxford historian Arnold Toynbee.
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[edit] History
The original building was designed by the obscure Elijah Hoole in vicarage-gothic style.
The radical idea behind Toynbee Hall that became the basis for settlement houses throughout England and the United States (Hull House) was that middle-class reformers would go to live in the poor neighbourhoods, providing direct aid — in the words of Samuel Barnett: 'to learn as much as to teach; to receive as much to give'.
It continues to be active today.
In 2007 the Toynbee Studios opened in part of the building offering dance and media studios and a theatre.
[edit] Notable associations with Toynbee Hall
Charles Robert Ashbee, son of erotomaniac Henry Spencer Ashbee, created his Guild of Handicraft which, more or less directly, led to the founding of the neighbouring Whitechapel Art Gallery.
Toynbee Settlers included RH Tawney, Clement Attlee, Guglielmo Marconi, Lenin and William Beveridge.
The Workers Educational Association (WEA) was founded here in 1903.
The Citizens Advice Bureau was formulated here in 1949
Child Poverty Action Group emerged from Toynbee Hall inspirations in 1965.
The politician John Profumo dedicated much of his time to the Hall from the 1960s onwards after the Profumo Affair.
[edit] Bibliography
- Briggs, A. and Macartney, A. (1984) Toynbee Hall. The first hundred years, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
- Pimlott, J. A. R. (1935) Toynbee Hall. Fifty years of social progress 1884 - 1934, London: Dent.
[edit] References
- Toynbee Hall history. spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Retrieved on February 1, 2007.
- The barnetts and Toynbee Hall. INFED - informal education and lifelong learning. Retrieved on February 1, 2007.
- Toynbee Hall, Commercial Street. An educational resource created by the Pevsner Architectural Guides. Retrieved on March 1, 2007.
- Stephen Bayley on the opening of the new Toynbee Studios. The Observer. Retrieved on February 25, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Toynbee Hall
- Toynbee Hall Art Club Website for club established in 1886 by C.R. Ashbee during his residence at Toynbee Hall.
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