About
Our History
Oxford House was established in 1884 as the first “settlement house” in the UK. Residential volunteers (students and graduates from Keble and Balliol Colleges, Oxford University) lived upstairs in the House while working to provide practical support to alleviate the impact of poverty to the local community. They did this through projects such as youth clubs, a poor man’s lawyer, labour exchanges, and adult education classes. Many see the early period of Oxford House, alongside many such organisations, as paving the way for the welfare state in the UK.
The original aim of Oxford House was to “provide a centre for religious, social and educational work among the poor of East London.” Although we’re no longer a religious organisation, Oxford House was originally created as an Anglican settlement and many of the resident’s early activities were tied to their faith. Our Victorian Chapel, which we use today as an arts space, harks back to this time.
During the Second World War, Oxford House served as a refuge and bomb shelter. The House also worked to relocate many local children and their parents away from the bomb-scares of London to residential schools in Wales and rural west England, which the House facilitated. Post-war, the House exchanged its religious focus with community and social activities, turning from settlement house to community centre.
Residential volunteers were slowly replaced by organisations renting office space in the upper floors of the House. In the late 1970s through to the 1980s, the House became increasingly agile to the needs of the community, and several departments/ branches of work were initiated to help with social issues of unemployment, homelessness and racial segregation. The house also provided workshops and clubs for all ages, as well as facilitating women’s groups.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the House sought to work more closely with local Bengali and Somali communities and hosted the first Somali Week Festivals. Oxford House continued to provide wide-ranging support to the community through activities such as health check-ups, ESOL classes, an arts workshop, music workshops, and being a centre for cab drivers to learn ‘the Knowledge’.
In the 2000s Oxford House branched into youth service provision for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. By the mid-2000s the House faced significant financial challenges and many of its social programmes were reduced. The focus of Oxford House turned to its arts programme, hosting regular exhibitions and performances.
In 2019 Oxford House underwent a large refurbishment project to restore the Grade II listed building, increasing accessibility and making more arts spaces. In 2022, Oxford House began delving into its heritage ahead of its 140th anniversary in 2024. And now we’re thrilled to share that with you through our archive. Discover our history in photographs, correspondence, reports, artworks, posters and objects.
Visit Oxford House and the archive
Oxford House is open to all, with a regular programme of arts and heritage events, a welcoming cafe and a variety of spaces to hire. Visit us at:
Oxford House, Derbyshire Street, London, E2 6HG.
Our archive is open to the public on archive open days. Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates or email us at info@oxfordhouse.org.uk for more information.
Copyright
We have endeavoured to contact the copyright owners of images that have been reproduced for the purposes of this online resource. Please contact us at info@oxfordhouse.org.uk if you are a rights holder of material that is featured on this site and concerned that you did not grant permission for us.