UCL BLOOMSBURY PROJECT

History

It was founded in 1879 by Angela Burdett-Coutts and Louisa Twining as a hall of residence for female art students (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry for Angela Burdett-Coutts)

Its origins lay in conversations Twining had had with her friend Miss Mayor in 1875 about the risks for English girls studying art in Rome, which had led to the foundation of a home there, and similar circumstances in London which led to Miss Mayor founding a similar home in Tavistock Square; both the Rome and London homes had to be abandoned, however, as rents were too high (Louisa Twining, Recollections of Life and Work: Being the Autobiography of Louisa Twining, 1893)

Twining was constantly reminded about the problem as she now lived in Queen Square, close to the Female School of Art; in 1877 she took in 2 young ladies who were art students, into her spare room, and was able to accommodate others as her resident epileptics of St Luke’s Home died (Louisa Twining, Recollections of Life and Work: Being the Autobiography of Louisa Twining, 1893)

In 1879 she started looking for a house, and once more Angela Burdett-Coutts helped out; in February 1879 they took a 13-year lease on nos 4 and 5 Brunswick Square, opening this as a home for female students (Louisa Twining, Recollections of Life and Work: Being the Autobiography of Louisa Twining, 1893)

Its Superintendent for at least the first 25 years was a Mrs Malone (The Times, 24 February 1905)

It was mentioned approvingly (along with College Hall) in the address by Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen on the laying of the foundation stone for a similar institution, Alexandra House in South Kensington (The Times, 1 July 1884)

Its name seems to have been a misnomer; in 1903 it advertised itself as being for “Ladies Studying Art, Science, Music, and Medicine” (Journal of Education, vol. 25, 1903)

Its 25th anniversary was celebrated by a royal visit in 1905 by the Princess of Wales; she inspected drawings and listened to music by the students (The Times, 24 February 1905)

However, it seems to have closed some time after this, although Mrs Malone is still listed at this address in Webster’s Royal Red Book of 1908