Recently visited here with Cogito and Gigi, and wow what a place!
Introduction
The college is tucked away on a picturesque bank of the Thames, and it was a great day out. The site is well guarded and is over looked by many properties nearby. Halfway through the explore we spotted a group of photographers doing a fashion shoot, so we gave them a bit of scare … maybe they caught the urbex bug too. The mansion was the last thing we saw in the day, and what a treasure!
The visit inside the mansion was cut short when we heard the seccas thumping about, pity as it's mint in there.
History
Carmel College was a Jewish, mixed boarding school, which ran from 1948 till 1997. The college was founded by Kopul Rosen on the banks of the Thames and made use of the manor house which already occupied the site, which was the inspiration for the mansion in Agatha Christie’s “Mouse Trap”. The grounds of the campus are still well kept today, and are very well landscaped.
The campus comprises of several separate buildings including: swimming pool, gallery, music room, dining room, dormitories, science labs and synagogue. The concrete synagogue and Julis Gottlieb Gallery are fantastic examples of post-war architecture, designed by Thomas Hancock and Sir Basil Spence respectively. A number of buildings are Grade II listed, and the Spence’s gallery is Grade II* listed.
Sadly the college closed its doors in 1997, due to falling numbers, bad management and financial difficulties.
Introduction
The college is tucked away on a picturesque bank of the Thames, and it was a great day out. The site is well guarded and is over looked by many properties nearby. Halfway through the explore we spotted a group of photographers doing a fashion shoot, so we gave them a bit of scare … maybe they caught the urbex bug too. The mansion was the last thing we saw in the day, and what a treasure!
The visit inside the mansion was cut short when we heard the seccas thumping about, pity as it's mint in there.
History
Carmel College was a Jewish, mixed boarding school, which ran from 1948 till 1997. The college was founded by Kopul Rosen on the banks of the Thames and made use of the manor house which already occupied the site, which was the inspiration for the mansion in Agatha Christie’s “Mouse Trap”. The grounds of the campus are still well kept today, and are very well landscaped.
The campus comprises of several separate buildings including: swimming pool, gallery, music room, dining room, dormitories, science labs and synagogue. The concrete synagogue and Julis Gottlieb Gallery are fantastic examples of post-war architecture, designed by Thomas Hancock and Sir Basil Spence respectively. A number of buildings are Grade II listed, and the Spence’s gallery is Grade II* listed.
Sadly the college closed its doors in 1997, due to falling numbers, bad management and financial difficulties.
Last edited by a moderator: