Did you know the Joseph Lancaster Block is part of a larger complex? It is part of London South Bank University.
The Joseph Lancaster Block shares a history with the Tower, Metal, and Extension Blocks. These were built together. Plans were drawn up simultaneously. They were kept together too. This file comprises plans of the Tower Block from 1964-2013. It also holds plans for the other blocks up until 2005. Later plans can be found elsewhere.
But who was Joseph Lancaster? Joseph Lancaster was born in Southwark London in 1778. His father was a shopkeeper. As a boy, Joseph had religious visions. These visions made him want to be a missionary. He wanted to travel to the West Indies. At fourteen, he left home. He went to Bristol. He hoped to catch a boat to Jamaica. He wanted to teach poor black people about God. He could not afford the fare. Joseph Lancaster found work. He soon joined the Society of Friends.
Lancaster returned to London. At twenty, he opened a small school in Southwark. He put up a sign. It read. “All who will may send their children and have them educated freely and those who do not wish to have education for nothing may pay for it if they please.” The school was very popular. Most children could not pay. Lancaster struggled to employ teachers. He read a pamphlet by Andrew Bell. It was about forming a school in Madras. Lancaster decided to use the monitorial system.
In this system, one master taught older pupils. These pupils were monitors. The monitors taught the rest. Lancaster created an elaborate system of punishments. These punishments were designed to make children feel shame. As a Quaker, Lancaster did not want to inflict physical pain. In 1803, he published a pamphlet. It was called Improvements in Education. It explained his teaching methods.
The school grew quickly. Within a few years, he had over 1,000 pupils. Aristocrats visited Lancaster’s school. The Duke of Bedford and the Duke of Sussex came. In 1805, King George III asked Lancaster to visit him. The King promised to help fund the school.
Despite donations, Lancaster was always in debt. In 1808, two Quakers and a radical politician took over the school’s management. They formed the Royal Lancasterian Society. It supported schools not controlled by the Church of England. Lancaster believed education should be Christian but not sectarian. A report in 1811 showed that none of his 7,000 students had become Quakers.
Joseph Lancaster spent his time touring. He advocated his views on schooling. Between 1798 and 1810, he traveled 3,775 miles. He delivered 67 lectures to 23,480 people. He helped form fifty new schools for 14,200 students.
In 1816, Lancaster argued with the Royal Lancasterian Society trustees. He left and tried to start his own school. It failed. He went bankrupt. After being imprisoned for debt, Lancaster moved to America. He started a school in Baltimore but it failed. He started schools in Venezuela and Canada. These also failed. He returned to New York. In October 1838, Joseph Lancaster had an accident. He died of his injuries soon after.
The Joseph Lancaster Block stands as a testament to his legacy. It was built much later. Yet it carries the name of a man who believed in education for all.