ST JOHN'S WOOD SCHOOL OF ART
St John's Wood School of Art had modest beginnings in Elm Tree Road where in 1878 the Eyre estate granted permission to Peruvian-born painter Abelardo Alvarez Calderon, Bernard Ward and Leonard Pownall for conversion of the then numbered 6 and 7 to an art school. Entry to the school was initially restricted to students training for entry into the Royal Academy Schools. As a result, between 1880 and 1903 over 300 of its students succeeded in gaining admission to the Royal Academy Schools. Subsequently, its scope was widened to include any art students, male or female, who wished to receive training in painting, composition, anatomy, perspective, mural painting, and commercial art. There were no restrictions on the study courses that students could follow and, in addition to the indoor studios, outdoor classes were provided within its courtyard area. In the 1930’s the School's association with the Royal Academy was strengthened when the President of the RA, Sir William Llewellyn, became its Patron. Past principals of the school included Charles Quiller Orchardson, Frederick Walenn, P. F. Millard and Ernest Perry, while among its former alumni were Lewis Baumer, Michael Ayrton, Marjorie Mostyn, Rex Vicat Cole, Ethelbert White, Sylvia Gosse and John Minton. The St Johns Wood Art School closed in 1945 and was replaced by the Anglo-French Art Centre.