| Description | Scope and Content
1 The Reverend James Arthur Faithfull of The Rectory, Whitechapel, Clerk in Holy Orders
William Minn of 30 Whitechapel Road, ironmonger.
John Ashbridge of 98 Whitechapel Road, gentleman.
John Hawkins of 17 High Street, Whitechapel, tea merchant.
William Ince of 24 Commercial Street, Whitechapel, umbrella manufacturer.
Phillip Meadows Martineau of Littleworth, Esher, Surrey, esq., J.P.
Frederick Charles Mills of 38 Albert Square, London, esq., J.P.
George Lewis Bruce of Toynbee Hall, Commercial Street, Whitechapel, gentleman.
The Reverend Samuel Augustus Barnett of Toynbee Hall, canon.
Alfred Jordan Hollington of 1 Aldgate, City of London, gentleman.
Hubert Llewellyn Smith of 4 Harcourt Buildings, Temple, esq.
Isaac Louis Van Gelder of 156 Whitechapel Road, cigar manufacturer.
Sidney Walter Richardson of 18 Whitechapel Road, ironmonger.
Edward Scotchburn Snell of 42 Great Prescot Street, Whitechapel, gentleman.
John Harris of 38 Gordon Square, Middlesex, Esq.
John Willett of 143 Leman Street, Whitechapel, corn merchant.
Thomas John Hull of 53 Leman Street, gentleman.
Claude Goldsmid Montefiore of 12 Portman Square, London, esq.
Alfred Barber of 19 and 21 Winthrop Street, Whitechapel, gentleman.
(The Governors of the Whitechapel Foundation)
2 George Gardner, and Frank Simpson Gardner, both of High Street, Whitechapel, hay salesmen.
Rent: £60 p.a.
Term: 21 years |
| AdminHistory | The rent on the premises at Spread Eagle Yard, Whitechapel was £60 a year, with a 21-year lease (1). The Board of Governors for the Whitechapel Foundation included influential figures such as Canon Barnett, based at Toynbee Hall and Claude Montefiore, a pillar of Anglo-Liberal Judaism.
The Whitechapel Foundation was an amalgamation of several local educational institutions, including what became the Davenant Foundation Grammar School and the Commercial School in Leman Street. The old Davenant School goes back to the 17th century, when the Reverend Davenant of St. Mary's, Whitechapel, stipulated in his will that his effects be sold off and monies raised used to build a school for poor boys in Whitechapel. The Davenant earned the plaudit 'cradle of the National Schools of England' for successfully implementing the monitorial system (2). In 1858, a Commercial or Grammar school was built in Leman Street under the aegis of the Reverend Champney, Rector of Whitechapel (3).
Growing demand for school places and talks between the Whitechapel Trustees and the Charity Commissioners saw the merger between St. Mary's and Leman Street elementary schools and the Davenant into the Whitechapel Foundation. The Davenant Endowed Free School in Whitechapel Road became the Foundation School, a secondary establishment for 250 boys. St. Mary's and Leman Street schools became the Davenant Schools (4).
C. late 19th century, architectural plans were prepared for a new Commercial School, which boasted a grand assembly hall and more spacious classrooms. In the 1930s, the London County Council began negotiations to move the Davenant away from Whitechapel. Although World War II intervened, in the 1950s the school was granted voluntary aided grammar-school status, despite failing rolls. A declining population coincided with the LCC's plans to redevelop the area (5). The school relocated to Essex in 1965 as the Inner London Education Authority took over the Whitechapel site.
A scheme for refurbishing surviving school buildings emerged in 1984 (6). Hence the Davenant Centre, which building was extended to include new facilities on the empty site in Whitechapel Road. During refurbishment, post-medieval human remains, possibly associated with the Whitechapel Workhouse Burial Ground, were discovered (7). The resulting community and resources training centre accommodated many local groups. Continuing financial problems resulted in closure in 2017.
Sources of information:
1. £60 in 1901 was worth around £7541.74 in 2020 : Bank of England Inflation Calculator.
2/3 . 'School History' in davenantschool.co.uk
4/5/6. 23rd March 2018 : The Davenant Centre, 179-181, Whitechapel Road (Part 2) in surveyoflondon.org
7. M. Ingram (2006) : The Davenant Centre, 179-181, Whitechapel Road: An Archaeological Watching Brief (MOLA) |