Blewcoat School
Former charitable school in London, England
title: "Blewcoat School" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["bluecoat-schools", "national-trust-properties-in-london", "defunct-schools-in-the-city-of-westminster", "educational-institutions-established-in-the-1680s", "educational-institutions-disestablished-in-1926", "school-buildings-completed-in-1709", "tourist-attractions-in-the-city-of-westminster", "1709-establishments-in-england", "1926-disestablishments-in-england", "grade-i-listed-buildings-in-the-city-of-westminster"] description: "Former charitable school in London, England" topic_path: "society/education" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blewcoat_School" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Former charitable school in London, England ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox building"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | The Blewcoat |
| image | BlewCoatSchool.jpg |
| caption | Blewcoat School, May 2008 |
| building_type | School |
| current_tenants | Ian Stuart |
| location | City of Westminster |
| London, SW1 | |
| location_country | United Kingdom |
| coordinates | |
| start_date | |
| :: |
| name = The Blewcoat | former_names = | status = | image = BlewCoatSchool.jpg | image_alt = | caption = Blewcoat School, May 2008 | building_type = School | architectural_style = | structural_system = | cost = | ren_cost = | client = | owner = | current_tenants = Ian Stuart | landlord = | location = City of Westminster London, SW1 | location_country = United Kingdom | coordinates = | start_date = | floor_count = | architect = | designations = | url =
Blewcoat School is a building in Caxton Street, London, that was built in 1709 as a school for the poor (a Bluecoat school). It was used as a school until 1926. In 1954, it was purchased by the National Trust who used it as a gift shop and information centre. In 2013 the building was refurbished as The Blewcoat, a store for fashion designer Ian Stuart.
School
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Blewcoat_School_2.jpg" caption="Statue above door"] ::
The school was founded in Duck Lane in about 1688 by voluntary subscription as a charity school for the education of poor boys to teach them reading, writing, religion, and trades. It moved to purpose-built premises in Caxton Street. From 1714 to about 1876, it also admitted girls. In 1899, it was agreed that the school should move to a site that had been owned by the Christ Church National Schools Trust, and the Caxton Street site was then used for an elementary school. The school closed in 1926.
Later uses
During World War II, the building was used by the American services as a store. Afterwards, the Girl Guides used it as a youth club. When the National Trust bought it in 1954, it was used as their membership and head office. Later, it was converted into a gift shop. June 2014 saw the opening of British designer Ian Stuart's boutique in the building, selling bridal gowns, special occasion wear and evening gown collections.
References
References
- Cox, Montague H.. (1926). "Blue Coat School". British History Online.
- Provençal, Nina. (February 2011). "Business of the Month: January and February 2011 - The National Trust Shop". Victoria Business Improvement District.
- Tye, Timothy. "Blewcoat School, London". Timothy Tye.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::