The Bede Story
You are here: Home »
Our history
Bede House was founded in 1938, by members of the Princess Marie Louise Settlement. This was an established local settlement in Bermondsey, but its buildings were increasingly dilapidated. Members of the Princess Club were determined that its work should continue in the community, and together raised £400 to buy a former bakery near Southwark Park. This became the founding home of Bede House Association, and we still work from the building.
Settlement houses were established across London and further afield, bringing together volunteers and community members to address local problems and build better neighbourhoods. Bede members forged a relationship with students of Clare College, Cambridge, which established a mission in Bermondsey in 1885. Clare students continue to support Bede through placements and fundraising events to this day.
Bede opened just before the onset of World War II. One of the few local places with a phone, it played a vital role when Bermondsey and Rotherhithe suffered heavy bombing. After the war, Bede took over Lady Gomm House next to Southwark Park, to expand its regular youth clubs, dockers social support and community events. As the local docks closed and new buildings replaced damaged homes, Bede moved into a purpose-built Centre, built as part of the new Abbeyfield estate next to Southwark Park.
We have evolved over the years, to support the changing needs of the community. Bede has hosted adult education, community creches, a local printing press providing training for unemployed young people, youth clubs and adventure projects. More recently, Bede has developed borough-wide services supporting people with learning disabilities and autism, and holistic support for survivors of domestic abuse. In 2008, Bede received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for its Inside Outside Project. This initiative brings volunteers with a learning disability and housebound local people together to befriend and help one another, harking back to the roots of our movement.