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The Dulwich Estate, previously the Estates Governors of Alleyn's College of God's Gift at Dulwich, is a
registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...
in England, one of the successors to the historic charity
Edward Alleyn Edward "Ned" Alleyn (; 1 September 156621 November 1626) was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich. Early life Alleyn was born on 1 September 1566 in Bishopsga ...
's
College of God's Gift The College of God's Gift, often referred to as the Old (Dulwich) College, was a historic charity founded in 1619 by the Elizabethan actor and businessman Edward Alleyn who endowed it with the ancient Manor of Dulwich in south London. In 1857 it ...
that was founded in 1619. It owns the freehold of around in
Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of ...
,
South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...
, including a number of private roads and a tollgate. The estate properties range from Regency and 19th century buildings to distinguished modernist 1960s buildings. A "Scheme of Management" was created in January 1974 under Section 19 ("Retention of management powers for general benefit of neighbourhood") of the
Leasehold Reform Act 1967 The Leasehold Reform Act 1967c 88 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom, which concerns English land law and compulsory purchase. A government bill, the law remains largely intact. It was passed by both Houses and had been tabled by minis ...
. A major reorganisation of the College of God's Gift took place on 31 July 1995; the charity, then known as ''The Estates Governors of Alleyn's College of God's Gift at Dulwich'' was renamed ''The Dulwich Estate'', and its governing body retitled ''Trustees''.The Scheme of Management documents
/ref> The individual components of the College of God's Gift (the three schools, the almshouse, the chapel and the Dulwich Estate) were separated into individual registered charities. The Estate distributes its surplus to a number of beneficiaries defined by its governing document. In 2006–7, the Estate had a gross income of £8million, and net assets valued at £187.9million.


Beneficiaries

The Dulwich Estate is empowered to distribute its surplus for charitable purposes to the following beneficiaries only: * Dulwich
Almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...
Charity *
Christ's Chapel of God's Gift Christ's Chapel of God's Gift is a church in Dulwich, a district of London, within the College of God's Gift complex. It was consecrated in 1616 by George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury, as the centre of Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift ...
*
Alleyn's School Alleyn's School is a 4–18 co-educational, independent, Church of England, day school and sixth form in Dulwich, London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation ...
*
Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2–19 independent, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...
*
James Allen's Girls' School James Allen's Girls' School, abbreviated JAGS, is an independent day school situated in Dulwich, South London, England. It is the second oldest girls’ independent school in Great Britain - Godolphin School in Salisbury being the oldest, founde ...
* Central Foundation Schools of London, which benefits
Central Foundation Boys' School ''(By hope, by work, by faith)'' , established = 1865 , closed = , type = Voluntary aided school , religious_affiliation = , president = , head_label = , ...
and
Central Foundation Girls' School ''(By hope, by work, by faith)'' , established = 1726 as Bishopsgate Ward School , type = Voluntary aided comprehensive school , head_label = Headteacher , head = Carla Prince , founder = , address = 25– ...
* St Olave's & St Saviour's Schools Foundation, which benefits
St Olave's Grammar School St. Olave's Grammar School (formally St. Olave's and St. Saviour's Church of England Grammar School) ( or ) is a selective secondary school for boys in Orpington, Greater London, England. Founded by royal charter in 1571, the school occupied sev ...
and
St Saviour's and St Olave's Church of England School St Saviour's and St Olave's Church of England School is a secondary school and sixth form for girls located on New Kent Road near Elephant and Castle, in the London Borough of Southwark, England. It is a voluntary aided Church of England school ...
Dulwich Picture Gallery Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, South London, which opened to the public in 1817. It was designed by Regency architect Sir John Soane using an innovative and influential method of illumination. Dulwich is the oldest publi ...
ceased to be a beneficiary of the charity in 1995.


History

The foundation known as Alleyn's
College of God's Gift The College of God's Gift, often referred to as the Old (Dulwich) College, was a historic charity founded in 1619 by the Elizabethan actor and businessman Edward Alleyn who endowed it with the ancient Manor of Dulwich in south London. In 1857 it ...
was founded in 1619 by
Edward Alleyn Edward "Ned" Alleyn (; 1 September 156621 November 1626) was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich. Early life Alleyn was born on 1 September 1566 in Bishopsga ...
, a Shakespearian actor, for the purposes of educating poor scholars and providing accommodation for poor persons. These basic principles still exist today but on a much wider scale, embracing among the beneficiaries Dulwich College, James Allen's Girls' School, Alleyn's School, Central Foundation Schools, and St Saviour's & St Olave's Schools. Until 1882, one Board of Governors was responsible for both
Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
al and Estate administration. It was then decided to create a separate Board of Governors to administer the Estate and to be known as the Estate Governors. In the years following the Second World War with significant demand for new housing in London, the Estate commissioned hundreds of new homes within its boundary. Most of these were built by
Wates Group Wates Group Ltd is one of the largest family owned construction, property services and development companies in the United Kingdom. Wates Giving, the firm's charitable foundation, has donated over £10 million since 2008. History Edward Wates ...
and are in the Dulwich Wood conservation area. In 1995, a major reorganisation of the historic Alleyn's College charity resulted in the reconstitution of The Dulwich Estate as an independent registered charity, and the other former constituents also became independent. As a registered charity, the Estate is bound to distribute its disposable income to its beneficiaries so that apart from the sums necessarily spent on estate management, it is not in itself wealthy. In the 2005-2006 financial year, the Estate distributed £5.49m from its income and £20m in capital to these beneficiaries.


Public criticism

In 2016, the Estate came under increasing criticism from local businesses and residents over their management of properties in the area. In February 2016, several hundred people, including actor
James Nesbitt William James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is an actor from Northern Ireland. From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical '' Up on the Roof'' (1987, 1989) to the political drama ''Paddywack'' (1994) ...
and journalist
Jay Rayner Jason Matthew Rayner (born 14 September 1966) is an English journalist and food critic. Early life Jason Matthew Rayner was born on 14 September 1966. He is the younger son of Desmond Rayner and journalist Claire Rayner. His family is Jewish. He ...
, both local residents, marched through
Herne Hill Herne Hill is a district in South London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the boroughs ...
to protest against the Estate's treatment of Just Williams, a local toyshop forced to close after Dulwich Estate increased their rent "by more than 70%". Similar campaigns have been mounted against the Estate's management of the Half Moon pub, left boarded up for three years following flooding in 2013 and poised to lose its live music space after refurbishment, and the Estate's plans to sell a local primary school's playing field to a property developer.


The Old College and Almshouses

The Old College and Almshouses (Edward Alleyn House) situated at the junction of Gallery Road and College Road, Dulwich Village SE21, were completed by 1618. The central section houses Christ's Chapel which was consecrated in 1616. The west wing originally housed the Almshouses, then became the home of the College. The buildings have been known as the Old College since the New College was opened in 1870. The west wing now houses the offices of the Estate Governors. The Almshouses (Edward Alleyn House) are situated in the east wing of the Old College. They comprise sixteen recently modernised flats which are let at a modest charge to suitable applicants who have proper qualification, namely a link with any one of the following parishes - St. Botolph's without Bishopsgate, St. Luke's Finsbury, St. Giles Camberwell, and St. Savior's Southwark. These are all parishes with which Edward Alleyn had personal or business connections.


Management

The Board of Trustees consists of 13 persons, namely 9 representative Governors, appointed by the various Parishes and Schools forming part of the Foundation, and 3 co-optive Governors, who must reside in the Hamlet of Dulwich, appointed by resolution of the Estate Governors. The Estate Governors administer the Estate in accordance with a scheme made by the Board of Education on 4 June 1913, under the Charitable Trusts Acts, 1855 to 1894, as amended by various altering schemes made between 1920 and 1978. The Estate, comprising some , is bounded by Crystal Palace to the South, Denmark Hill to the North, part of Lordship Lane to the East, and
Tulse Hill Tulse Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London that sits on Brockwell Park. It is approximately five miles from Charing Cross and is bordered by Brixton, Dulwich, Herne Hill, Streatham and West Norwood. History The ar ...
to the West. It is primarily situated in the
inner London Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. With its origins in the bills of mortality, it became fixed as an area for statistics in 1847 and was use ...
borough of
Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
, with small parts in the
Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...
and
Lewisham Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified i ...
, but has large areas of open space. The Estate has been managed by the Estate Governors and their predecessors since 1619 to obtain the maximum benefit for the beneficiaries. Since the advent of the
Leasehold A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to hold land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord. Although a tenant does hold rights to real property, a l ...
Reform Act 1967, many leaseholders have acquired their freeholds.


See also

*
Dulwich Wood Dulwich Wood, together with the adjacent Sydenham Hill Wood, is the largest extant part of the ancient Great North Wood in the London Borough of Southwark.


References


External links


The Dulwich Estate website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dulwich Estate Cultural and educational buildings in London Educational charities based in the United Kingdom 1619 establishments in England Charities based in London London Borough of Southwark Estate College of God's Gift