The London Nautical School – A Brief History

The London Nautical School, a Secondary School for boys, was founded as a consequence of the official report into the loss of the RMS Titanic. The School originated as a nautical department, which was set up in the Rotherhithe New Road (Higher Grade) School in 1915. The aim of the department was "to educate and prepare cadets to be able to meet the needs of society, either at sea or in any other occupation, where responsibility, attention to duty and regard for others are valued equally with academic and practical skills". This mission statement exists to this day, except that the word "cadets" now reads "pupils".

By 1937, the Rotherhithe New Road School’s nautical department had outgrown its premises and "London Nautical School" become a separate institution in Silwood Street, Rotherhithe, SE16. During the Second World War the School was evacuated to first Hailsham, Sussex and then New Quay, Cardiganshire. The Silwood Street premises were destroyed by enemy action. At the end of the war the School returned to London and was housed first at Comber Grove School, Camberwell and then occupied the premises of the John Rennie School Broadwall, now the school’s playground. A public house, "The Peabody Arms" (part of the Peabody Estate), was demolished to make way for the School’s new premises.

The London Nautical School has always been oversubscribed. For example, in 1959 there were 378 applicants for 90 places. The school’s catchment area was London wide, i.e. roughly 40 x 25 miles and attracted many "out county" pupils until well into the 1980’s. Some 25 years ago one pupil used to commute from the Isle of Wight. Only quite recently due to the Local Education Authorities withdrawal of "out of borough" financial assistance to parents for pupils’ fares, has The London Nautical School mainly become populated by boys from Inner London Boroughs.

During the early sixties it was finally accepted by the LCC that the demand for places was overwhelming and the school’s accommodation inadequate. This co-incided with the availability on Stamford Street of the London College of Printing, housing litho-machine installations, design workshops etc. To rehouse The London Nautical School, much modification of the London College of Printing was required. Added was a gymnasium, a stilt-supported structure abutting the Southeast corner of the main building. The old school premises were demolished and Broadwall (road) closed south of Stamford Street. In the early 1980s, ILEA enclosed the stilted area beneath the gym in order to create a music suite.

In 1965, the school occupied its ‘new premises’. The front portion of the school building had been built in 1826 as St Patrick’s Orphanage for Irish children (girls and boys). The schools’ site therefore has been a centre of learning for nearly 180 years. Also forming part of the frontage of the School is the Doric portico of the Stamford Street Unitarian Chapel. The chapel was built in 1821 and later demolished to provide the Broadwall School with a playground. The portico is deemed to be a feature of architectural merit and is under the care of English Heritage. Duchy Street forms the western boundary of the School. Both Duchy Street and the next road going west, Cornwall Road, are named after the Duchy of Cornwall which estate owns much property in the immediate area. Many buildings locally carry the Cornish arms.

The School has links with St John’s Church, Waterloo, built in 1822-1824 to designs by Francis Bedford and severely damaged by a bomb in 1940. St John’s was fully restored in 1951 and The London Nautical School falls within its Parish boundary. The Rector of St John’s, Canon Richard Truss, is a Governor of the school. The school is very much aware of its responsibility and the role it has to play within the local community. The school’s minibus is a collaboration with St John’s Church and this was funded by the Waterloo Community Regeneration Trust (WCRT).

The London Nautical School obtained Grant Maintained (GM) Status in April 1990 and was one of the first schools in London to become GM. Since, then the Governors have been responsible for the site’s freehold. In September 1999, the school ceased to be GM and become a Foundation School within the London Borough of Lambeth. It falls within an area called "London South Central". In September 2003, the school was awarded Sports College Status, concentrating on water based activities. A new sports hall was taken into commission in September 2006.  All sports are conducted off site. Athletics is still held at the Tooting Stadium. Swimming for the last 30 years has been at the Shell Centre in York Road. The school has leased for 99 years from the National Playing Fields Association an 18 acre playing field site at Mottingham.

The school’s nautical ethos is still pivotal and pupils joining are assigned to either a port or a starboard watch. Boys attend residential nautical courses, which run throughout the year and they participate in other nautical visits and water based activities. The school continues to attract those with an interest in ships and the sea and many former pupils have embarked on careers in either the Merchant Navy or Royal Navy. The school is affiliated to HMS Richmond, a Type 23 Duke Class Anti Submarine Warfare Frigate.

The school’s choir participates annually at the Service for Seafarers at St Paul’s Cathedral and the school’s annual Carol Service is held at Southwark Cathedral. A contingent of boys attends the Merchant Naval Service of Remembrance at Tower Hill annually. The School holds Sports England awards for excellence and has a Charter Mark from the Football Association in recognition of the coaching links with local clubs and the range of teams provided and their successes. The Lambeth Sports Co-ordinator Scheme, a programme developing sports in Lambeth Schools, is run by The London Nautical School.