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Steeped in history leading the way

A Brief Insight into the History of

Dulwich College

1619 – James I grants letters patent to the famous Shakespearean actor-manager, Edward Alleyn, authorising the establishment of a college in Dulwich “to endure and remain forever”.

1857 – Re-constituted by Parliament under the Dulwich College Act, Alleyn’s College of God’s Gift prepared to relocate.

1866 – The College moved to its present site. Architect Charles Barry (son of Sir Charles Barry, designer of the Houses of Parliament) introduced a revolutionary “thirteenth-century North Italian Renaissance” style.

Architectural note – Barry’s use of terracotta and intricate decoration was unprecedented for a building of this scale.

Architectural Excellence

The RIBA-awarded Laboratory (2014–2016) embodies the College’s commitment to uniting science and the arts. Its terracotta and concrete façades echo the rich colours of Barry’s ‘New College,’ while the recurring patterns reflect order in nature and the unity of learning.

This contemporary addition seamlessly complements the historic campus while making a distinctive architectural statement.

A photo of The Laboratory at Dulwich College.

“This apparition is a fair candidate for the wildest nineteenth-century building in the whole of London — and there is certainly some competition…
Fragments of all styles and scales are thrown at each other with a kind of nihilistic joy…
…this one has a crazy Dostoevskian gleam in its eye.”

Ian Nairn, architectural critic (1930–1983), Nairn’s London (1966)

Thoughtfully Restored

In 2017–18, the exterior terracotta stonework and wooden lantern were carefully restored, recapturing the luminescence of Barry’s original vision and the iconic “Dulwich glow.”

Additional restoration works were completed in late 2025 to the interior of the Lower Hall, Masters’ Library and adjoining spaces.

The College remains faithful to Barry’s masterpiece and continues to inspire generations of alumni. As P.G. Wodehouse wrote from America shortly before his death: “If I do come to England, the only place I really want to see is Dulwich.”

An aerial image of the Barry Buildings at Dulwich College with the city in the background.

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