Ragged School Museum

The Ragged School Museum, is a former brick warehouse which was converted into the largest Ragged School in the UK for impoverished children in 1877 by Dr Barnado. In the 1970s, the Copperfield Warehouses were saved from demolition and the Ragged School Museum Trust was formed to convert the building into a functioning museum to teach new generations about the lives of destitute children in Victorian England.

RGA was the lead architect to develop a NLHF funded scheme to undertake the full refurbishment of the buildings and extension of the Museum. The project proposed to transform underused parts of the building to accommodate museum rooms, lettable offices, event spaces for hire and a canal side café opening up onto the Regent’s Canal. The aim was to create a more coherent visitor experience throughout and to enable greater accessibility within the building, installing new lift and stairs.

The proposals enhance and sublime the fabric of the building, bringing over 618m² back into public use. The authenticity of the buildings has been retained with sensitive conservation. The Ragged School Museum project sets out to improve the quality, viability and sustainability of the buildings for the future.