Thames Festival 2013: Vauxhall Ragged Schools tour and Open House

The Friends of the Beaufoy are proud to be part of the Thames Festival in 2013. The Mayor’s Thames Festival is a huge celebration of the River Thames, its history and culture. Spanning ten days, the festival includes events from Vauxhall Bridge, through Lambeth, and all along the Thames down to Tower Bridge. The Vauxhall Ragged Schools tour and Open House takes place over the weekend of Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th September.

For this event, the Friends of the Beaufoy are organising a tour of local sites of interest relating to the Ragged Schools movement in the Vauxhall area, as well as an Open House of the Beaufoy Institute, from 11am-4pm. The tours are hourly, taking in the following locations:

White Hart Dock

The heart of the Doulton pottery industry for more than a hundred years, the dock dates back to 15th century.

Doulton Factory

The former head office of the Doulton family’s operations in Lambeth. The amazingly decorated facade is still in good condition today.

Southbank Mosaics

Beautiful works depicting the Black Prince and local industry, under the railway bridge.

Beaufoy Ragged School

Remains of the original building built in 1851, now the Beaconsfield Art Gallery.

Beaufoy Institute

The wonderful 1907 replacement to the original school, now being renovated after 20 years being derelict and opened to the public.

Read the report on our blog about the Vauxhall Ragged School tour.