Morley College: A Hidden Artistic Gem In South London

Morley College near Waterloo will be very well known to some but, possibly, completely unknown to others. It is an adult and further education college established by an incredible Victorian social reformer and feminist pioneer called Emma Cons. It is also an overlooked hidden gem, I think, in terms of its array of artistic works.

A ‘Woman of Infinite Resource’

Emma Cons was born 1838 in St Pancras. She trained as an artist and worked in the male dominated fields of watch-making and stained glass. She was often the only woman doing these jobs and was apparently harassed often by her male colleagues.

Throughout her life she always strived to help her community, lift others up and was tireless in her efforts to do so. She was described at the time as a ‘woman of infinite resource’. Her artist’s training was under Caroline Hill, whose daughter was Octavia Hill, a housing reformer and eventual co-founder of the National Trust. Emma started working with Octavia, helping her manage properties and collect rents. Both never married but dedicated their lives to helping others.

Emma’s niece, Lilian Baylis, described her relationship with Octavia Hill as a ‘strong and intimate’ friendship. Lilian destroyed most of Emma’s personal papers after she died, so it is difficult to get a true insight into her thoughts and feelings in her life.

Emma later founded her own housing organisation, the South London Dwellings Company in 1879, providing affordable housing for over 600 people. 

The Royal Victoria Coffee Music Hall

Emma Cons was a lifelong temperance campaigner and in 1876 set up the Coffee Taverns Company. The company was set up to establish coffeehouses, with the aim that they would act as an alternative social space, rather than the pubs and gin palaces.

In 1879 she founded the Royal Victoria Coffee Music Hall on Waterloo Road, in the empty Royal Victoria Theatre. It later became the Old Vic Theatre, after her niece Lilian Baylis took over the running of the venue in 1899. 

Cheap coffee, tea and food could be purchased, people could also bring their own food to eat at the venue. Temperance meetings were held and science ‘penny lectures’ were hosted to provide entertainment and education. The first Penny Lecture, for example, discussed a new fangled invention called the ‘telephone’. 

Music hall entertainers were invited to perform, or short plays put on, but it did not have an official theatre license.

The ‘penny lectures’ in particular were really popular and people started inquiring about a more regular set of classes. Soon the venue was hosting regular workshops and classes covering literature, politics, economics and more. This developed into what became known as the ‘Morley Memorial College for Working Men and Women’, which officially opened in the theatre in 1889. 

It was named after a wealthy textile manufacturer, MP and philanthropist called Samuel Morley who had made significant donations to the institution and was on the governing committee. Morley was also a staunch abolitionist, supporter of William Gladstone and believer in liberal values. He, for example, reduced the price of The Daily News to make liberal values and political discourse open to all. 

A Place For All

By 1890 the college had 800 students and it was the first such institution to allow men and women in on equal terms. 

Women were always at the heart of the institution, with a rule ensuring that at least three of the council members were women. Most of the early principals were also women.

The college has a few more famous names associated with it as well. In 1907 Emmeline Pankhurst was invited to give a lecture at the college. Virginia Woolf and E.M Forster also spent time teaching at the college and Gustav Holst, best known for his orchestral suite, The Planets, was the Director of Music from 1907-1924. 

It also, from the beginning, put on art exhibitions. In 1890 an exhibition of famous Victorian artist Frederic Leighton’s work was shown alongside those of Edward Burne-Jones and G.D Leslie.

Emma Fights On

Emma Cons, by the way, continued to fight for equality throughout her life. In 1889 she was appointed as the first female alderman on the London County Council. There was a legal challenge to her holding the position, the result of which was that she was allowed to keep her position but not vote. She was however very active on various committees.

She became a member of the Liberal Women’s Federation Executive Committee and the Women’s Local Government Society. They achieved their goal of legalising the election of women in local government elections in 1907, an important step in women’s suffrage. Emma Cons died in July 1912 and was hailed as a ‘pioneer of modern social service’. 

The Current Building And The Blitz

The college moved into the current location on Westminster Bridge Road from 1924. 

Much of the original building was destroyed when a high explosive bomb hit the college in October 1940. Many were sheltering in the basement of the college, using it as an air raid shelter and 57 died in the attack, including the college caretaker, his family and many locals. During World War Two the college took in 250 people who had been made homeless by the Blitz.

In 1958 the rebuilt college was opened by the Queen Mother. 

After the war the college acquired the derelict King’s Arms pub opposite, which today is the Morley Gallery, opened 1969.

This is used to put on regular exhibitions to support the work of the students and staff of Morley College.

You can find out more on the Morley gallery website here.

An Overlooked Artistic Gem

As well as rotating exhibitions of new students works, they also have permanent works of art inside the building. Unbeknownst to most, many of the exhibitions can be seen by the public for free, during college opening hours. 

In the canteen are a series of murals by Edward Bawden, from 1963, depicting Chaucer’s Canterbury tales.

Artist Maggi Hambling has been a tutor at Morley since 1969. Although primarily a painter, in London she is probably best known for her outdoor sculptures: A Conversation with Oscar Wilde and A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft.

In the entrance hall is the Morley College Mural by Bridget Riley, perhaps the most important artwork in their collection. It was commissioned by the principal, Barry Till, in 1973. Bridget Riley is known for being a pioneering artist in the Op-Art movement of the late 1950s and 1960s. This involved creating abstract geometric paintings to create mesmerising visual effects.

The College Today

If you include the short courses, the college has around 10,000 students at any one time. They have also expanded their reach and now have campuses in Chelsea, North Kensington and Stockwell.

My impression was that it felt like a real community. There is a tutor who has been teaching since 1968 and there are two students who have been studying here for over 50 years!

One of the college’s students is a 97 year old lady, who attends her piano lessons via Zoom.

On the 24th September 2025 the Emma Cons hall reopened. This is a performance space, originally built in the 1950s, but has just reopened after a large refurbishment. The hall has two large murals by Martin Froy.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the history of this unique and thriving London institution. You can find out more about their courses, open days, events and more on their website here.

Thank you for reading! More London hidden gems below…