Picture the late 1800s. Life in London was changing fast – industrialisation had created big cities, big divides, and big challenges. But out of that came a powerful idea: what if communities could support each other – and everyone, no matter their background, had access to education, culture and care?
That idea became the Settlement Movement, and we were right there at the beginning of it.
Settlement Houses started popping up in the 1880s, offering everything from classes and clubs to legal advice and health support. University graduates were invited to live and work in these houses, sharing their knowledge and rolling up their sleeves to make a real difference.
The Mary Ward Settlement and Blackfriars Settlement both opened their doors in the late 1880s – and both were founded by remarkable women determined to change the system from the inside out.
The Mary Ward Settlement was started by Mrs Humphry Ward, a bestselling Victorian novelist and a tireless campaigner for access to education. She believed everyone should have the chance to enjoy the “hundred pleasures and opportunities that fall mainly to the rich”, from learning new skills to joining in cultural life. That belief still drives us today.
And so our original name, the Passmore Edwards Settlement, was changed when Mary passed away to honour our generous Victorian philanthropist patron – and rightly so.
Meanwhile, over at Blackfriars, another bold vision was taking shape. Founded as the Women’s University Settlement, it was led by trailblazing women from Oxford, Cambridge and beyond – including Octavia Hill, a housing reformer and co-founder of the National Trust. Their focus? Helping women and children in London’s poorer districts get the education and opportunities they deserved.
The Settlements weren’t just about teaching – they were buzzing community hubs. People joined for a small fee and found something bigger: a space to belong.
There were music and debating societies, chess clubs, sewing circles, self-help groups like the coal and boot clubs, and even mother-and-toddler groups (before that was a thing). It was a place where people mixed, learned, shared and supported one another.
And children? Mary Ward made sure they weren’t left out. She launched Play Centres and Vacation Schools – what we’d now call after-school care and holiday clubs. And in 1899, she opened the very first school in England for physically disabled children – a game-changing moment in British education.
The Mary Ward Charity and Blackfriars Settlement (now part of the same family) still hold onto that original spirit: community, fairness, and opportunity for all. The world may have changed – but our mission hasn’t.
Discover how we’re building on that legacy today.