Ian Stuart Blewcoat

General information

Erected in 1709, The Blewcoat is built of red and yellow brick with rubbed brick and stone dressings. At each corner Doric pilasters rise from the ground, supporting entablatures. Inside lies a single handsome pine-panelled room with a light, airy coved ceiling (with a basement beneath). Since 1974 this room was enriched with a large grey and gilt-work chandelier from Bruerne Abbey, Oxfordshire. The building is Listed grade I.

Built to house a charity school founded in 1688 by the Green family of local brewers, on a site known as 'Tothill Fields' then owned by Westminster Abbey. The School educated and clothed twenty boys from the parishes of St. Margaret and St. John for free alongside fee-paying boys. The School remained in use until 1954 when it was acquired by the National Trust.

It takes its name from the distinctive uniforms the pupils wore, and a statue of a Blewcoat charity boy still stands above the doorway serving as a poignant reminder of how this building became a haven of hope to so many children.

In 2013 Ian Stuart was granted permission to refurbish the interior to house his bridal gowns, special occasion wear & evening gown collections.