Classroom A At Aspen House Open Air School

Classroom A at Aspen House Open Air School is a timber classroom built in 1925 by the London County Council (LCC) Architect's Department. Initially designed to be fully open to the elements above timber half walls, windows were inserted later, likely in the 1950s. The building has a hipped timber roof covered in felt, with deep overhanging eaves. It is raised off the ground on timber posts, which support joists carrying floorboards. The windows consist of paired side-hung casements with catches to hold them open, except on the entrance side, where there are three-part folding windows, also with catches, and opening top lights. Two doors provide access, one original and a later insertion, both with three glazed panels to the upper half, leading up a short flight of steps. A second flight of steps leads to the right. The interior features exposed roof timbers.

The site, formerly Aspen House, was purchased by the LCC in 1920, and the open-air school plans were approved in 1924. The LCC had pioneered open-air teaching from 1907, and Aspen House was the fifth of its schools, built to an ‘improved design’ that became standard. The school was intended for anaemic, asthmatic, and under-nourished children, with a focus on nature study, physical exercise, gardening, and creative play, alongside three daily meals, and mandatory afternoon rests. Children typically spent eighteen months at the school, with class sizes limited to 32 pupils per teacher, along with a permanent nurse. The teaching methods, emphasizing self-awareness and discovery, were progressive for the time, reflecting a wider movement toward fresh air and informal teaching styles.