Hornsey College of Art (a.k.a. Hornsey School of Art) was a college in

Crouch End Crouch End is an area of North London, approximately from the City of London in the western half of the borough of Haringey. It is within the Hornsey postal district (N8). It has been described by the BBC as one of "a new breed of urban vill ...

in the

London Borough of Haringey The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation o ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The HCA was "an iconic British art institution, renowned for its experimental and progressive approach to art and design education".

Background

The college was founded in 1880 as the Hornsey School of Arts by Charles Swinstead, an artist and teacher who lived at Crouch End, Hornsey. The college passed to his son,

Frank Swinstead Frank Hillyard Swinstead (6 August 1862 – 6 December 1937) was an English first-class cricketer and artist. Swinstead was born at Chelsea to Charles Swinstead, the master of the North London School of Art, and his second wife, Jane Swins ...

, following his death in 1890. During the inter-war years the schools curriculum was composed of Fine Art, Advertising Design and Industrial Applied Art. It continued its day-time classes during World War II and was one of only two London art schools that did not vacate the capital during the blitz. It became Hornsey College of Arts and Crafts in 1955. It survived until 1973 as a named entity, when it joined Enfield Technical College and Hendon Technical College to become Middlesex Polytechnic. The Polytechnic later became

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

The 1968 sit-in

During 1968, the college was the scene of protests when students occupied the Crouch End Hill site. Students attending the multi-site college convened to discuss the withdrawal of Student Union funds and resolved to sit-in. During this period they effected a temporary administration of the college, and called for major and consultative review of the art curriculum, supported by sympathetic academic staff and visiting artists. They offered a major critique of the education system at the time. Some of these documents were presented as part of a project called The Hornsey Project. The college was repossessed by local authorities at the beginning of the summer break. Hornsey achieved notoriety because of the scale of the all-night protests and sit-ins, which were copied in similar art schools around the UK. During the six weeks that the sit-in lasted, Hornsey became the focus of debate about the method of art education and teaching in Britain. Hornsey was, and still is, afforded the blame for these disturbances that swept the student fraternity nationwide. Kim Howells, a student, and Nick Wright, then president of the Students' Union on a sabbatical year, initiated the sit-in. Howells later became a trade union official and a minister in

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of t ...

's government. After the protests,

Tom Nairn Tom Nairn (born 2 June 1932) is a Scottish political theorist and academic. He is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University. He is known as an essayist and a supporter of Scottish ...

, then a sociology lecturer, was dismissed from the college. ''The Hornsey Affair'', a book by students and staff at Hornsey, was published in 1969 by

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year. A documentary film, ''Our Live Experiment is Worth More Than 3,000 Textbooks'', about the Hornsey sit-in was directed by John Goldschmidt for

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was its ...

and transmitted in 1969. Patricia Holland's Hornsey Film "reconstructs the arguments and succession of events that led to the occupation of Hornsey College of Art between May and July 1968". Part of the Hornsey Archive is currently held at Middlesex University in the Sheppard Library as one of their special collections. Hornsey Weep In 1

In April 1969 a follow-up mock funeral procession, performed by students of the art school, declared "the death of Hornsey Hope".

Recent use of the building

Middlesex University vacated the Crouch End building in the 1980s. The building was then used by the TUC as a training and conference centre. Since 2008, the building has been a part of Coleridge Primary School, upon its expansion to four-form entry.

Notable alumni and teachers

Viv Albertine Viviane Katrina Louise Albertine (born 1 December 1954) is an Australian-born British musician, singer, songwriter and writer. She is best known as the guitarist for the punk band the Slits from 1977 until 1982, with whom she recorded two studio ...

(b.1954), musician''Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys''; Viv Albertine; Faber & Faber 2014, p. 62 *

Stuart Brisley Stuart Brisley (born 1933) is a British artist. Education Brisley studied at Guildford School of Art from 1949 to 1954 and at the Royal College of Art from 1956 to 1959. In 1959–60 he attended the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich, G ...

(b.1933), artist and teacher * Graham Lewis (b.1953), (Wire), musician * Neville Brody (b.1957), typographer, art director and graphic designer *

Michael Casson Michael Casson OBE (2 April 1925 - 12 December 2003) born in London, was an English studio potter, referred to as "respected and charismatic". He studied art and woodwork at Shoreditch College, and ceramics at Hornsey College of Art, and was one ...

(1925-2003), potter *

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, writer and illustrator * Eileen Chandler (1904-1993), portrait painter * Peter Cook (b. 1936), architect *

Wendy Dagworthy Wendy Dagworthy OBE (born 4 March 1950) is an English former fashion designer and now design academic. During her career she has led fashion design teaching at both the Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins, mentoring notable fashion de ...

(b.1950) OBE, fashion designer and

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It ...

professor *

Joseph Darracott Joseph Corbould Darracott (22 February 1934–6 March 1998) was a British writer, art historian, editor and museum curator who for 14 years was Keeper of Art at the Imperial War Museum in London.Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voc ...

(b.1944), musician (Kinks) * Lynsey de Paul (1948-2014), singer-songwriter *

Ted Dicks Edward Dicks (5 May 1928 – 27 January 2012) was an English composer. He is best known for composing the music for the novelty songs "Right Said Fred" and " The Hole in the Ground". They were both Top 10 hits in the UK Singles Chart in 1962, re ...

(1928-2012), composer *

Eve Disher Eve Disher (1894–1991) was a British artist known for her portrait paintings but who also painted urban scenes and flower paintings. Biography Disher was born in London and studied at the Hornsey School of Art. During World War One, Disher wo ...

(1894–1991), portrait painter * Les Edwards (b.1949), illustrator * Edwin Embleton (1907 – 2000), graphic designer * Robert Fuest (1927-2012), film director * Violet Fuller (1920-2006), artist *

Hannah Gavron Hannah Gavron ( he, חנה גברון; born Ann Fyvel; 1936 – 14 December 1965) was a Mandatory Palestine-born British sociologist. Life and work Ann Fyvel was born in British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel) in 1936, the daughter of Ma ...

(1936-1965), sociologist * Stuart Goddard (b.1954) (Adam Ant), musician *

Doc Rowe David "Doc" Rowe (born 8 December 1944) is a folklorist, author and film-maker who lives and works in the United Kingdom. A graduate of Hornsey College of Arts, he is a prominent lecturer on and advocate for folk traditions and folk music. Des ...

(b.1944), folklorist * James Herbert (1943-2013), novelist *

Adrian Hill Adrian Keith Graham Hill (24 March 1895 – 1977) was a British artist, writer, art therapist, educator and broadcaster. Hill served with the Honourable Artillery Company during World War I and was the first artist commissioned by the Imperia ...

(1895–1977), artist and broadcaster * Kathleen Horsman (1911–1999), potter *

Ken Howard Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. (March 28, 1944 – March 23, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in '' 1776'' and as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show '' The Wh ...

(b.1932), artist * Moira Huntly (b.1932), artist * Allen Jones (b.1937), artist *

Anish Kapoor Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor (born 12 March 1954) is a British-Indian sculptor specializing in installation art and conceptual art. Born in Mumbai, Kapoor attended the elite all-boys Indian boarding school The Doon School, before moving to the UK t ...

(b.1954), artist * Ken Kiff (1935-2001), artist * Dorothy King (1907-1990), artist *

Bryan Kneale Robert Bryan Charles Kneale (born 19 June 1930) is a Manx artist and sculptor, described by BBC News Online as "one of the Isle of Man's best known artists." Biography Born in the island's capital, Douglas, Kneale studied painting at the Doug ...

(b.1930), artist *

Bruce Lacey Bruce Lacey (31 March 1927 – 18 February 2016) was a British artist, performer and eccentric. After completing his national service in the Navy he became established on the avantgarde scene with his performance art and mechanical constructs. He ...

(1927-2016), performance artist * Dorothy Larcher (1884–1952), textile designer *

Roger Law Roger Law (born 6 September 1941, in Littleport, Cambridgeshire), is a British caricaturist, ceramist and one half of ''Luck and Flaw'' (with Peter Fluck), creators of the popular satirical TV puppet show ''Spitting Image''. Roger Law was a ...

(b.1941), teacher, illustrator and co-creator of TV series ''Spitting Image'' *

Dante Leonelli Dante Leonelli (born September 15, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American pioneer of kinetic light sculpture and a former tutor at Hornsey College of Art Hornsey College of Art (a.k.a. Hornsey School of Art) was a college ...

(b.1931), artist * Daphne McClure (b.1930), artist *

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(b.1959), artist *

(b.1932), academic and writer *

John Napier John Napier of Merchiston (; 1 February 1550 – 4 April 1617), nicknamed Marvellous Merchiston, was a Scottish landowner known as a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He was the 8th Laird of Merchiston. His Latinized name was Ioan ...

(b.1944), theatre designer * Paul Neagu (1938-2004), sculptor, performance artist * Sam Peffer (1921-2014), commercial artist * Richard Robbins (1927-2009), artist, sculptor and art teacher * Hallsteinn Sigurðsson (b.1945), Icelandic sculptor and visual artist * Norman Toynton (b.1939), artist * Stanley Warren (1917-1992), art teacher, creator of the Changi Murals as a Japanese prisoner of war * Eric Watson (1955-2012), photographer * Richard Wentworth (b.1947), artist * Colin Chilvers (b.1945), visual effects director and film director * Richard Wilson (b.1953), sculptor *

Theresa Wiseman Theresa "Terry" Wiseman (born 1956) is an English animator and former footballer. She played as a goalkeeper and represented England at senior international level. Wiseman won 60 caps for England. After a period as understudy to England's orig ...

(b.1956), footballer and animator *

Pulak Biswas Pulak Biswas (1941—29 August 2013) is a leading artist and children's book illustrator from India. Biography Biswas was born in Dhaka, British India. After training at the Government College of Art, Kolkata, he worked for many years in the a ...

(1941-2013), Indian illustrator *

The Raincoats The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Signed to the label Rough Trade, the ...

, rock band, members

Gina Birch Gina Birch is an English musician and filmmaker, best known as a founding member of post-punk rock band, the Raincoats. Born in Nottingham, Birch attended Nottingham High School for Girls, and later the Hornsey School of Art, where she form ...

and

Ana da Silva Ana da Silva is a musician, best known as a founding member of post-punk rock band the Raincoats. Career Born in Madeira island of Portugal, she grew up without television and little access to popular culture. She had exposure to music throug ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hornsey College Of Art Educational institutions established in 1880 1880 establishments in England Art schools in London Education in the London Borough of Haringey Middlesex University