Mary Ward House is a grade I-listed building and conference centre in Bloomsbury, in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was the headquarters of the National Institute for Social Work Training, part of the

settlement movement The settlement movement was a reformist social movement that began in the 1880s and peaked around the 1920s in United Kingdom and the United States. Its goal was to bring the rich and the poor of society together in both physical proximity and s ...

. Built between 1896 and 1898, the building is located on Tavistock Place, between

Tavistock Square Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. History Tavistock Square was built shortly after 1806 by the property developer James Burton and the master builder Thomas Cubitt for Francis Russell, 5th Duke ...

and Marchmont Street. The building was listed on 7 April 1960 under the name 'The National Institute for Social Work Training and Attached Railings and Gates'. It is named after

Mary Augusta Ward Mary Augusta Ward (''née'' Arnold; 11 June 1851 – 24 March 1920) was a British novelist who wrote under her married name as Mrs Humphry Ward. She worked to improve education for the poor and she became the founding President of the Women' ...

, who part-funded the building (most of the funding coming from

Passmore Edwards John Passmore Edwards M.P. (24 March 1823 – 22 April 1911) ODNB article by A. J. A. Morris, 'Edwards, John Passmore (1823–1911)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 200 accessed 15 ...

). The building was designed by

Arnold Dunbar Smith Arnold may refer to: People * Arnold (given name), a masculine given name * Arnold (surname), a German and English surname Places Australia * Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria Canada * Arnold, Nova Scotia Uni ...

and Cecil Claude Brewer and is considered to be a masterpiece of late

Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

Article on the Architects, with portraits of them
. (accessed 24 February 2008). and is considered to be one of the best Arts and Crafts buildings in London. It is not to be confused with the current

Mary Ward Centre The Mary Ward Adult Education Centre is part of the Mary Ward Settlement, in Queen Square, London. History The centre was founded by Mary Augusta Ward, a Victorian novelist and founding president of the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League, be ...

building. The Mary Ward Centre was once based at 5-7 Tavistock Place, but moved to nearby Queen Square and also named its new building after Mary Ward.

References

{{reflist Exhibition and conference centres in London Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Camden Buildings and structures in Bloomsbury Arts and Crafts architecture in London Social history of England