Kingswood House, formerly known as King's Coppice, is a

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

in South Dulwich, at the southerly tip of the London Borough of Southwark, United Kingdom. It is a Grade II listed building. It is now used an arts and community centre called Kingswood Arts. In 1811 William Vizard, the

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

to Queen Caroline in her divorce from George IV, was granted a 63-year lease for Kingswood Lodge. When Vizard returned to his native Gloucestershire in 1831, others were granted the property leases. From 1891 the house was owned by John Lawson Johnston (inventor of Bovril) who extended the house and remodelled the facade including adding battlements. Johnston acquired the nickname Mr Bovril and because of its castellated features Kingswood became known locally as Bovril Castle. Some remaining garden features from this era are thought to have been installed by Pulham & Co. In the First World War Kingswood was used as a convalescence home for wounded Canadian soldiers. At this time it came to the notice of Lady Vestey who was doing social work in connection with the soldiers housed there. In 1919 her husband Sir William Vestey was granted an 80-year lease and in 1921 when he was raised to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

he became

Baron Vestey Baron Vestey, of Kingswood in the County of Surrey, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1922 for the shipping magnate Sir William Vestey, 1st Baronet. He was the co-founder of the Blue Star Line. Vestey had already ...

of Kingswood in the

County of Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

. Kingswood was the Vesteys' main home until William's death. In 1954 it was decided by the then Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell to turn the building into library and community centre, for the benefit of Kingswood Estate residents and in 1956 acquired the site by compulsory purchase. Lord Vestey's estate had by now been developed into a large residential area with the grounds occupied by houses, flats and shops. In 1965 it became the property of the London Borough of Southwark. It underwent substantial refurbishment in the 1980s and 1990s, and subsequently used for conferences, meetings, and civil marriages. In the grounds in front of Kingswood House there are still some remains of the Pulham features. In 2005 a tapestry was made by over 100 local residents depicting the history of the house. In 2011 a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

was erected on the side of the building to commemorate John Lawson Johnston and his residence there. The house is located just a few minutes walk from

Sydenham Hill railway station Sydenham Hill railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving Sydenham Hill, the Kingswood Estate, and Upper Sydenham, in south London. It is down the line from and is situated between and . The station and all trains that cal ...

Library

From 1956-2020, whilst run as a public building by Southwark Council, the house held a public library. An opening ceremony, hosted by actor

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

and the then Camberwell mayor Alderman John Evans, who used the opportunity of the library to read up on Ustinov, saying “I looked up Who’s Who’ and anyone who wants to know something about our distinguished visitor can find it in the library”. It was remarked at the ceremony that the house was now 'as it should be', for the community and "not something reserved for one select and privileged family". The 1960s saw the house store the then Camberwell borough's library service reserve stock collection. In 1993 the library was threatened with closure, with the suggestion that the library could move into a space at the Seeley Drive shops. The community ran a Save The Library campaign, gathering 720 signatures in a petition. Between 2014 and 2019 the library's funding was cut to nearly half, from £23,885 to £12,618. The library in the house closed in 2020 at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, a new Kingswood Library run by the Council opened opposite the house at a shop unit on Seeley Drive.

Present day

In 2022, an organisation Kingswood Arts CIC (a subsidiary of Hartshorn Hook Enterprises) took over the venue as an art centre. The whole building has now been restored, and opened to the public as a performing arts centre, with cafe and regular events in April, 2023.

References

External links

Kingswood House community website

Kingswood Arts

Library

Present day

References

External links

Further reading