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Baden-Powell House

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   Baden-Powell House
           Building Information
         Name       Baden-Powell House
    Location Town   Kensington, London
   Location Country United Kingdom
      Architect     Ralph Tubbs
        Client      The Scout Association
       Engineer     Harry Neal Ltd
   Completion Date  1961- 07-12
         Cost       £ 400,000
        Style       Modern architecture

   Baden-Powell House, colloquially known as B-P House, is a Scouting
   hostel and conference centre in South Kensington, London, which was
   built as a tribute to Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting. The
   house, owned by The Scout Association, hosts a collection of
   Baden-Powell memorabilia, including the original Baden-Powell painting
   by David Jagger, Baden-Powell's Last Message to Scouts, and a granite
   statue by Don Potter.

   The building committee, chaired by Sir Harold Gillett, Lord Mayor of
   London, purchased the site in 1956, and assigned Ralph Tubbs to design
   the house in the modern architectural style. The Foundation Stone was
   laid in 1959 by World Chief Guide Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, and it was
   opened in 1961 by Queen Elizabeth II. The largest part of the £400,000
   cost was provided by the Scout Movement itself. Over the years, the
   house has been refurbished several times, so that it now provides
   modern and affordable lodging for Scouts, Guides, and their families,
   staying in London.

History

   From address by HM the Queen
   Baden-Powell himself has gone, but his Movement remains and grows—a
   memorial more enduring than stone or steel. It is, however, fitting
   that, here in England, where he started it, there should be a house,
   bearing his name and serving the needs of the Movement, which can
   express our gratitude to him in a practical way.

   Acting on a 1942 initiative by Chief Scout Lord Somers, a formal
   Baden-Powell House Committee was established by The Scout Association
   in 1953 under the direction of Sir Harold Gillett, later Lord Mayor of
   London. The committee's directive was to build a hostel to provide
   Scouts a place to stay at reasonable cost while visiting London. For
   this purpose, in 1956 the committee purchased a bombed-out property at
   the intersection of Cromwell Road and Queen's Gate at a cost of
   £39,000.

   The Scout Movement raised the major part of the funding of £400,000 for
   building and furnishing the building between 1957 and 1959. Money was
   raised through public appeals supported by publication in Scout
   Movement magazines, a collection of donations in 15,000 brick-shaped
   boxes, and 5,000 appeal letters signed personally by then Chief Scout
   Lord Rowallan.

   In a celebration on 1959- 10-17 the Foundation Stone was laid by the
   World Chief Guide Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, with Lord Mayor Sir Harold
   Gillett, the new Chief Scout Sir Charles Maclean, and 400 other guests
   in attendance. A casket was buried under the foundation stone which
   held 1959 Scout mementoes, stamps, coins, photographs, etc., and a
   programme of the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony.

   With 142 Queen's Scouts as Guard of Honour, and live broadcast by the
   BBC (commentator Richard Dimbleby), Baden-Powell House was opened on
   1961- 07-12 by Queen Elizabeth II. Afterwards, the Queen toured the
   house with the Chief Scout and the president of The Scout Association,
   her uncle Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. A black marble panel with
   gold lettering was put on the balcony in the hall to commemorate the
   event.

Modern architecture

   Baden-Powell House, long view
   Enlarge
   Baden-Powell House, long view
   Baden-Powell House, side view
   Enlarge
   Baden-Powell House, side view
   Baden-Powell House, front view
   Enlarge
   Baden-Powell House, front view

   The house was designed by the architect Ralph Tubbs in 1956, whose
   works included the Dome of Discovery, the highlight of the 1951
   Festival of Britain. Tubbs' floor plans and a model of his design were
   displayed during a fundraising campaign and exhibition on 1957- 02-21
   in the Egyptian Hall of the Mansion House.

   The six storied Baden-Powell House is designed in the modern
   architectural style, as pioneered by the Swiss architect Le Corbusier
   from the late 1920s onwards, and predominating in the 1950s. At
   Baden-Powell House, Tubbs made the first floor overhang the ground
   floor, a Le Corbusier architectural design choice to free the building
   from the ground, such as seen in his Pavillon Suisse at the Cité
   Internationale Universitaire in Paris. Additionally, Le Corbusier's
   Sainte Marie de La Tourette priory in Lyon shows two floors of monk's
   cells with small windows, cantilevered over the more open floors below,
   another design choice used by Tubbs in the facade of Baden-Powell
   House. While Tubbs created Baden-Powell House in the modern
   architectural style of Le Corbusier, he used more architectural
   restraint in his own design choices. For example, he made the main
   visible building component brick rather than concrete. This heavier
   evolution of Le Corbusier's style was popular in England throughout the
   post-war years until replaced by the Brutalist style in the later
   1960s.

   Baden-Powell House was built to Tubbs' design by Harry Neal Ltd, for
   which they received the 1961 Gold Medal of the Worshipful Company of
   Tylers and Bricklayers. At the opening, the house received the building
   design award for ‘The building of most merit in London.'

   Thirty-five years after its opening, Baden-Powell House was refurbished
   in a six-month £2 million programme, providing all modern amenities
   such as private facilities for all rooms, double glazing, and air
   conditioning, as well as enhancing conference facilities for large and
   small events. Upon completion of the programme, the house was opened by
   the president of The Scout Association, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent on
   1997- 06-05. In 2002 a Starbucks coffee and sandwich bar was opened, as
   well as an outdoor roof garden adjacent to the meeting conference rooms
   on the second floor.

Baden-Powell collection

   Painting of Robert Baden-Powell, by David Jagger, 1929, pivotal part of
   the Baden-Powell House collection
   Enlarge
   Painting of Robert Baden-Powell, by David Jagger, 1929, pivotal part of
   the Baden-Powell House collection

   Since Baden-Powell House was intended as a tribute to Baden-Powell, a
   notable collection of Baden-Powell memorabilia has always been on
   display for visitors in 'The story of B-P' exhibition. This includes
   many drawings and letters by Baden-Powell himself, such as the original
   of his Last Message to Scouts, Laws for me when I am old and several
   first editions of his books. The exhibition also displays the original
   painting by David Jagger, as presented to Baden-Powell on 1929- 08-29
   at the 'Coming of Age' 21st World Jamboree. This painting, a personal
   favourite of Baden-Powell, is often used in publications throughout the
   Scout movement. A facsimile of the famous painting is on display in the
   Geneva headquarters building of the World Organization of the Scout
   Movement.

   The exhibition was augmented in 1971 by a bust of Baden-Powell,
   unveiled by Olave, Lady Baden-Powell. On the exhibition's 25th
   anniversary in 1986, the Duke of Kent re-opened the exhibition in a new
   setting. The Baden-Powell House regularly hosts temporary exhibitions
   on Scouting subjects, including (in 1976) an exhibition of Scouting
   stamps, Scout book exhibitions, etc.

   As an introductory part of the collection, a nearly 3 meter high statue
   of Baden-Powell has been erected in front of Baden-Powell House, the
   only granite statue in London. The sculptor was Baden-Powell's personal
   friend Don Potter. It was unveiled on 1961- 07-12 by the Duke of
   Gloucester, as part of the official opening of the house.

In the 21st century

   Souvenir badge of Baden-Powell House, ca 1980
   Souvenir badge of Baden-Powell House, 1980
   Souvenir badges of
   Baden-Powell House

   With special Scout atmosphere, Baden-Powell House provides a hostel and
   conference centre for people visiting London. Located in the middle of
   London's visitor area, known as Exhibition Road, it is in short walking
   distance of the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Royal Albert
   Hall and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The full address is
   65-67 Queen's Gate, London SW7 5JS, reachable by public transportation
   through South Kensington tube station and Gloucester Road tube station.
   The hostel partipates in the Youth Hostel Association, and is rated
   Four Star by the Visit Britain Quality Assurance, and Mobility Level 1;
   also recent visitors rate it on average 4 out of 5.
   Statue of Baden-Powell, in front of Baden-Powell House in London, by
   Don Potter (1960).
   Enlarge
   Statue of Baden-Powell, in front of Baden-Powell House in London, by
   Don Potter (1960).

   The hostel and conference centre is entered through a wide glazed
   atrium which serves as a large foyer containing the cafe and the
   exhibition centre. From the atrium the large hall is reached which can
   serve as as an auditorium with seating for up to 300 people. The first
   floor has a restaurant seating 100 guests; the second floor has meeting
   rooms, and conference facilities for groups up to 80 delegates per
   room. The upper floors contain 180 hostel bedrooms. Baden-Powell House
   was designed specifically for members of the Scout Movement.
   Nonetheless, it has always been fully open to family members of Scouts
   at reduced prices and to the general public at competitive commercial
   rates. In an average year, 30 thousand people spend the night, and
   100 thousand meals are served in the restaurant. Souvenir badges and
   other Baden-Powell House merchandise can be purchased from the
   reception desk.

   From 1974 to 2001, Baden-Powell House was the headquarters of The Scout
   Association, for which a dedicated extension to the house was completed
   in 1976. In April 2001, the headquarters formally moved to new
   accommodation at Gilwell Park, but Baden-Powell House still facilitates
   various departments of The Scout Association. As the owner of
   Baden-Powell House, The Scout Association receives a net income out of
   the revenues of approximately £1.5 million.

   Baden-Powell House is one of the four Scout Activity Centres of The
   Scout Association, together with Youlbury, Downe, and Gilwell Park.

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