WATFORD COLLEGE
The Watford Library and School of Science and Art began in 1874 on Queens Road, Watford it provided day and evening classes in a variety of subjects, including draughtsmanship, decorative art and applied art but Fine Art as we know it did not commence until 1907. A new building on Hempstead Road for the college was began in 1938 but progress on the new building was interrupted by the Second World War and the building remained unfinished throughout the 1940s. Watford Technical College was founded in 1947 and it was not until 1953 that Watford Technical College was officially opened in its new premises. In the 1980s Watford College of Technology merged with the George Stephenson College to form Watford College. West Herts College was established in 1991 as part of the reorganisation of Further Education in Hertfordshire being created from the two local colleges Watford College and Cassio College, and Dacorum College in Hemel Hempstead. A new Watford Campus building was constructed in the early 21st century and West Herts College vacated its Lanchester Building. Associated with the School was the Watford Art Circle which aimed to further the welfare of the School of Art by ‘the introduction of a Social side, the provision of Lectures bearing on the artwork of the School, and by serving as a School Sketching Club and Past Students' Association’. Suffolk artists alumni at Watford have included Hugh Boycott-Brown, Mark Dresh, George William Gill and Mary Warsop other staff and alumni include Philip Thompson (1928-2007), Peter Schmidt (1931-1980), Roland Jarvis (1926-2016), Hansjörg Mayer (1943-), Anthony Froshaug (1920-1984), Annie Eliza Spong (1870-1957), Lesley Anne Ivory (1934-) and Alan Kitching (1940-).