Oxford House Archive: Creating a Community Centre 

Emily Hughes – Archivist

In 1944, John Ilsley wrote, ‘My own feeling is that Oxford House has always been a community centre, but that we are now becoming more widely recognised as such by the neighbourhood which we serve.’ Oxford House changed during WWII. Molly Clutton-Brock, wife of head of house Guy, was especially influential in creating clubs for women and girls. The wider community also came together to dance on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and shelter from the 80 tons of bombs being dropped above. 

It was during the 1970s that Oxford House truly began to flourish as a community centre. However it was not as simple as it immediately transforming into one. The Blitz had left East London devastated, and it had left Oxford House in debt. It could have been easy for the House to take a step back. Yet, over the next few decades, community spirit kept Oxford House alive. The Webbe Club saw a mass oversubscription of members as children and teenagers from the local area flocked to attend, while Oxford House continued to run events ranging from theatre and pantomime shows, to celebrations for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. 

1960s onwards

It was the community that kept Oxford House alive during the 1940s and 50s. By the 1960s, however, this began to wane. Oxford House became less active during this time – and there is little in our archive other than brief annual reports about this period. It was Director Andrew Smith who might be credited with bringing a ‘spark of life’ into Oxford House, as phrased by Ron Weston in a poem written for the OH3! Magazine of 1973. 

New leadership set about reviving the House and creating new committees and schemes to respond to local needs and desires, which the community enthusiastically responded back to. Some of the most successful included the Oxford House Social Club, the Summer Playscheme and E2 Festival, and the Oxford House Youth Club. 

A particular success was the Oxford House Youth Club. Art workshops, a youth club with pool tables, and a safe space for young people made it hugely popular from the 1970s onwards. ‘Oxfords’ as it was known. Philip Cunningham, a photographer and youth worker at the time, noted that many young people who attended Oxfords had been banned from other youth clubs in the area – but found home at Oxford House. 

1990s to present

The House has changed still since the Youth Clubs of the 1990s. Adults and children still use our building – for campaigning and social action, dance classes and exercise, and to gather and discuss local and community issues. The successful Arts Council bid in the 1990s meant that Oxford House’s theatre, dance studio aand gallery was built, allowing us to now extend outwards from the community of Bethnal Green as theatre groups and dance troupes from all over London come and use our space, while visitors host events in the cafe and main hall. 

Oxford House’s transformation from settlement house into community arts centre was slow, but it remains a space ran by the local community, for the local community. The words of Steve Lancashire, who directed the 1972 Summer Playscheme, perhaps best summarise why Oxford House begun to flourish in the 1970s and continues to do so to this day. ‘Oxford House was originally built by people living outside the area. I am convinced that in the future it must be built up by those living in this area.’

Visit us or get in touch

These images are all sourced from the Oxford House Archive, and many feature in our current exhibition History House (June-December 2024). Our new digital archive here also has more photographs and documents about Oxford House’s history. If you have any memories of visiting Oxford House and want to share with us, we’d love for you to get in touch with the archive at OHarchive@oxfordhouse.org.uk