Toynbee
Hall, 28 Commercial Street, E1. Toynbee Hall was the first university
settlement - and became a model for those that followed. It was founded in 1884
by Canon Samuel Barnett (1844 - 1913) who, with his wife Henrietta, had come to
the Whitechapel parish of St Judes with strong missionary intent. The area was
well known for its appalling housing conditions, poverty and overcrowding.
Samual Barnett's early work stressed self-help (in a fairly extreme form in the
matter of alms). He campaigned for better housing conditions for the poor (and
with parish workers from St Judes established model dwellings (1888); and set up
the Children’s Country Holiday Fund (1877). However, his name is forever linked
with Toynbee Hall as its first warden.
The settlement is named after Arnold Toynbee (1852-1881), the Balliol historian. As well as undertaking university teaching Toynbee was committed to the development of adult education opportunities for the working class - and worked with Barnett in this area. He argued that the gap between social classes needed closing - and that those with money and education should spend time - and live - among the poor. That was the basic rationale for Toynbee Hall. The Barnett's began with 16 settlers - and out of their efforts grew a significant social welfare and education programme. This has included adult education provision; youth work; various social work initiatives; housing; health provision and economic development. A number of associations began their lives here: the Worker’s Education Association (1903); the Worker’s Travel Association (1921); the Youth Hostel Association (1931); Community Service Volunteers (1962); National Association of Gifted Children (1981).
Over the years the settlers have included some of the central figures in the development of welfare in this country: Clem Attlee (1883 - 1967) the Labour Prime Minister (1945-1951) was secretary to the Hall and an active social worker; Richard H. Tawney (1880 - 1962) who was central to the development of the Worker’s Education Association and to debates around social democratic thought began his residence here in 1903 working on the Holiday Fund. He was here until 1906 and came back for spells in 1908 and 1913. William Beveridge (1879 - 1963) the economist who wrote the crucial government report on social insurance (1942) was appointed sub-warden in 1903 (he left in 1905). James (Jimmy) J. Mallon (1874 - 1961), who is remembered on a plaque on the main building, was warden from 1919 - 1954. He was a different to previous wardens in that he came into university settlement work (at Ancoats, Manchester) via unionism (he was apprenticed as a jeweller). He went on to organize and lobby around employment issues and became an associate of Toynbee Hall. Under his wardenship key political figures such as Hugh Dalton, Margaret Bondfield, and George Lansbury were regular visitors. As were thinkers such as Harold Laski and Seebohn Rowntree.
Read Samuel A. Barnett on University Settlements
Bibliography
Briggs, A. and Macartney, A. (1984) Toynbee Hall. The first hundred years, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Pimlott, J. A. R. (1935) Toynbee Hall. Fifty years of social progress 1884 - 1934, London: Dent.
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© Mark K. Smith. First published August 7, 1997. Last update: October 01, 2008
