Bust: Bloomsbury House - Thomas Arnold
Site: Bloomsbury House (5 memorials)
WC1, Bloomsbury Square, 2-3
Bloomsbury House was built in 1887 for the College of Preceptors. Designed by by F. Pinches it is Listed Grade 1. The College, now called the College of Teachers, moved into the Institute of Education in Bedford Way in 2003. The Bloomsbury Square building was restored in 2007 and is now run by the Bonnington Hotel group who rent it out for meetings and events space.
On the front facade there are five roundels, on the first and second floors, under the windows, each carrying a relief bust of an eminent educationalist. Clockwise, starting top left the busts represent:
Johann Pestalozzi
John Milton
Friedrich Froebel
Thomas Arnold
John Locke
All these roundels used to be on our puzzle page and we have the wonderful Ornamental Passions for identifying them. He did that by just asking someone from the College. We like his style.
