LSE Archivist Sue Donnelly explores LSE’s move to its first purpose-built home. The site around Clare Market was chosen due to slum clearance, and Passmore Edwards Hall was completed in 1902. After only 20 years it was engulfed by the development of the Old Building. Traces of Passmore Edwards Hall remain, making it a largely hidden piece of campus history today.
In its early years LSE occupied two rented houses in John Street and Adelphi Terrace. This was in the area south of the Strand and close to Charing Cross station. But within five years the School needed more space and a home of its own.
In the late 19th century London County Council (LCC) had a plan to clear the slums around Clare Market. The Council wanted to use the space cleared to create a grand link between Holborn and the Strand. They eventually built Kingsway.
LSE co-founder Sidney Webb was Chair of the LCC Technical Education Board. The slum clearance allowed him to obtain 4,300 square feet on Clare Market “on permanent loan” at a peppercorn rent.
Building work began in 1900 with funding from the philanthropist John Passmore Edwards (1823-1911). Passmore Edwards was a Cornishman who made his fortune from technical publications. He devoted much of his time and fortune to philanthropy. At his death in 1911 there were over 70 Passmore Edwards’ buildings. Many of them were libraries, art galleries, schools and hospitals.
Passmore Edwards was a generous donor to LSE. However, he and Sidney Webb disagreed over the name of the building. He preferred Passmore Edwards Institute to Sidney Webb’s suggestion of Passmore Edwards Hall.
When this initial donation ran out, R B Haldane and Lord Rosebery raised £8,000 in the City. Lord Rothschild also made a donation to Passmore Edwards Hall.
LSE used a competition to select the building’s architect and three architects submitted their designs. An article in Building News (one of Passmore Edwards’ publications) announced the winning design. It provided 80 per cent useful wall space. This was much more than the 50 per cent in the other two designs. Fortunately the successful architect, Maurice B Adams, was also an editor with Building News.
Mandell Creighton, Bishop of London, laid the foundation stone on 2 July 1900. Building work was already underway. Passmore Edwards Hall was finished in 1902. Lord Rosebery, Chancellor of the University of London, presided over the opening ceremony.
Although today the building’s art nouveau design would appeal to many people, not all contemporaries were enthusiastic. The School Secretary, Christian MacTaggart, remembered “we hated it” and Edward Pease, secretary of the Fabian Society, called it “ugly”.
Passmore Edwards Hall survived less than 20 years. During the 1920s it was enveloped in the growth of the Old Building, during the building work under William Beveridge’s time as Director of LSE.
The ground floor room remained as part of the Library. In 2002 LSE redeveloped the remaining interior and adjacent light well to create the Student Services Centre and Atrium Gallery.
Visit the Atrium Gallery in the Old Building to see the Passmore Edwards Hall foundation stone. It is the most visible part of the original building today.
Fascinating article.
One question: there seem to be very few photographs/pictures of the building in circulation, not even informal photographs taken by staff and students. It is always the same handful of images.
Are there additional visual records of the building inside the School archives or in other places?