Goldsmiths College

The Royal Naval School began as a school for the sons of 'impecunious naval officers', which had been founded in Camberwell in 1833 before moving to New Cross, where it remained until 1889 then moving again to Chislehurst. The Goldsmiths' Company had received its first charter in 1327 and became one of the wealthiest and most powerful of the city livery companies. The new Goldsmiths College provided courses for students preparing for external degrees in engineering and science at the University of London, and also ran art and music classes. A south block was added to the main building by Sir Reginald Blomfield, which is now named the Richard Hoggart Building after Professor Richard Hoggart, who was warden at Goldsmiths. This overlooks College Green, which has six large plane trees and a number of horse chestnuts around the perimeter, with recent planting of commemorative trees. In the north-east corner is a modern raised garden with C19th urns and other architectural fragments. The botanical gardens of the former Biology Department in St James Street at one time contained rare trees, shrubs and perennials, but was closed in the 1960s. 

In 2010 the New Academic Building was opened at the top of College Green, housing Goldsmiths' Department of Media and Communications in a single purpose-built space. The project was undertaken by construction company Willmott Dixon, working with architect Stride Treglown, and was designed with environmentally friendly features, such as bat and bird boxes, as well as the latest technology and equipment for students. In November 2014, the New Academic Building was renamed in honour of Professor Stuart Hall, the leading left-wing academic who pioneered cultural studies as a scholastic discipline and led Britain’s first centre for cultural studies at Birmingham University.

The Richard Hoggart Building is set behind a wide forecourt fronted by railings onto Lewisham Way, with an area of planting to the left of the main entrance in which a stone tablet commemorates the severe damage to the college in World War II and its restoration under the auspices of Arthur Edis Dean, Warden from 1927-50. Within the main building is The Quad, an internal courtyard landscaped with an area of lawn and of paving with seating, overlooked by the cafe. Set in the grass is a Portland and Hornton stone sculpture by Michael Kenny RA (1941-1999) entitled 'Water and Wine', who taught at Goldsmiths for over 20 years and was Head of Fine Art 1983-88.