Alcott House
Encyclopedia
Alcott House, in Ham
, Surrey
(now in Richmond
in Greater London
), was the home of a utopian spiritual community and progressive school which lasted from 1838 to 1848.
, who was influenced by American Transcendentalist Amos Bronson Alcott
, and Swiss educational reformer Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
. Together with his followers, who included Charles Lane
- and the help of wealthy sponsors, Sophia and Georgiana Chichester - he founded Alcott House on Ham Common in Surrey in 1838. The Ham Common Concordium, as it came to be known, consisted of a working mixed cooperative community and a progressive school for children.
The community was dedicated to a regime of spiritual development and purification, in the words of Greaves, aiming to produce the "most loveful, intelligent and efficient conditions for divine progress in humanity". To this end the members submitted to an austere regime of early rising, strict vegetarianism (usually raw food), no stimulants, celibacy, and simple living, and experimented with various practices such as astrology
, hydrotherapy
, mesmerism and phrenology
. The men grew their hair and beards long and wore loose fitting clothes, while the women defied convention by not wearing the traditional, restrictive corset
.
Alcott House school was open to children from both inside and outside the community - the latter usually from radical parents who sympathised with its progressive educational stance. The curriculum emphasised moral education and the development of the child's innate spiritual gifts, teaching practical skills such as gardening and cookery as well as booklearning. Punishment was frowned upon and education aimed to produce "integral men and women", able to live in a truly cooperative society and not simply playing traditional roles.
In 1848, the community came to an end and the house was purchased by John Minter Morgan to provide an orphanage ,, though still run along vegetarian lines. In 1856 the foundation stone of a new building was laid on the site to be known as South Lodge, which exists to this day. The new building has been converted to flats and the grounds have been developed as Bishops Close.
Ham, London
Ham is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the River Thames.- Location :Its name derives from the Old English word Hamme meaning place in the bend in the river. Together with Petersham, Ham lies to the east of the bend in the river south of Richmond and north of Kingston...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
(now in Richmond
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is a London borough in South West London, UK, which forms part of Outer London. It is unique because it is the only London borough situated both north and south of the River Thames.-Settlement:...
in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
), was the home of a utopian spiritual community and progressive school which lasted from 1838 to 1848.
History and Ideology
The prime mover behind the community was "sacred socialist" and mystic James Pierrepont GreavesJames Pierrepont Greaves
James Pierrepont Greaves , was an English mystic, educational reformer, socialist and progressive thinker who founded Alcott House, a short-lived utopian community and free school in Surrey...
, who was influenced by American Transcendentalist Amos Bronson Alcott
Amos Bronson Alcott
Amos Bronson Alcott was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer. As an educator, Alcott pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, focusing on a conversational style, and avoided traditional punishment. He hoped to perfect the human spirit and, to that end, advocated a...
, and Swiss educational reformer Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach....
. Together with his followers, who included Charles Lane
Charles Lane (transcendentalist)
Charles Lane was an English-American transcendentalist, abolitionist, and early voluntaryist. Along with Amos Bronson Alcott, he was one of the main founders of Fruitlands.-Fruitlands:...
- and the help of wealthy sponsors, Sophia and Georgiana Chichester - he founded Alcott House on Ham Common in Surrey in 1838. The Ham Common Concordium, as it came to be known, consisted of a working mixed cooperative community and a progressive school for children.
The community was dedicated to a regime of spiritual development and purification, in the words of Greaves, aiming to produce the "most loveful, intelligent and efficient conditions for divine progress in humanity". To this end the members submitted to an austere regime of early rising, strict vegetarianism (usually raw food), no stimulants, celibacy, and simple living, and experimented with various practices such as astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
, hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 19th century...
, mesmerism and phrenology
Phrenology
Phrenology is a pseudoscience primarily focused on measurements of the human skull, based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific functions or modules...
. The men grew their hair and beards long and wore loose fitting clothes, while the women defied convention by not wearing the traditional, restrictive corset
Corset
A corset is a garment worn to hold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes...
.
Alcott House school was open to children from both inside and outside the community - the latter usually from radical parents who sympathised with its progressive educational stance. The curriculum emphasised moral education and the development of the child's innate spiritual gifts, teaching practical skills such as gardening and cookery as well as booklearning. Punishment was frowned upon and education aimed to produce "integral men and women", able to live in a truly cooperative society and not simply playing traditional roles.
In 1848, the community came to an end and the house was purchased by John Minter Morgan to provide an orphanage ,, though still run along vegetarian lines. In 1856 the foundation stone of a new building was laid on the site to be known as South Lodge, which exists to this day. The new building has been converted to flats and the grounds have been developed as Bishops Close.
Further reading
- Thomas Frost. Forty Years' Recollections: Literary and Political (London: S. Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington, 1880) pp. 40-52.
- F. B. Sanborn. Bronson Alcott at Alcott house, England, and Fruitlands, New England (1842-1844) (The Torch Press, 1908).
- J. E. M. Latham. Search for a new Eden: James Pierrepont Greaves (1777–1842) (Associated University presses, 1999) - especially chapter 11.
- R. C. S. Trahair. Utopias and Utopians: an historical dictionary (Greenwood Press, 1999), pp, 6-8.