Deptford New Town: A 19th century working class estate

St John’s School

St John’s School was established in 1855 and was the first to address education needs on a large scale. The church stood the corner of St John’s Road and Seymour Street.

The site and much for the cost of the building came from Lucas. His motivation is likely to have been more than just altruistic as the provision of a school would have been an important asset to the developing estate. The school had a roll of about 900 in 1874 but declined after that date.

St John’s School was threatened by the building of Tanner’s Hill School by the London School Board in 1879. This offered 600 classroom spaces, better teaching and lower fees than St John’s and the latter declined and eventually closed in 1910. The London County Council (LCC) took over the building and built a new school, which it called Ravensbourne School. This building is now used by St Stephen’s Church of England Primary School.