Historical evidence behind campaign to change the name of Rhodes Avenue School in North London
Over the past several days articles have appeared in the Mail, Telegraph and Times arguing that a campaign to change the name of Rhodes Avenue School in North London because of its association with the imperialist Cecil Rhodes is wrong.
The claim is that the area where the school is was owned by Cecil Rhodes great uncle and that is the reason for the name.
The ownership point is correct, the naming claim is not.
The London Socialist Historians Group have issued a press release:
The press release makes headline points but there is solid evidence behind it which is below:
Firstly the secondary school on the site was called Cecil Rhodes.
In 1964, Bounds Green Secondary Modern School amalgamated with Cecil Rhodes Secondary Modern School; this then became Alexandra Park Comp. Sch in 1975 (in Rhodes Ave), & then amalgamated with Creighton School. It is now known as Fortismere School.
National Archives
Secondly while Cecil Rhodes died in 1902 the primary school opened in 1930 when the UK had a cult of naming public buildings and roads after Rhodes
Rhodes Avenue school opened in 1930, with accommodation for 434 juniors and infants. (fn. 176) In 1952 a separate infants’ school was established on the same site. There were 294 pupils enrolled at the junior school and 200 at the infants’ school in 1972. (fn. 177)
Victoria County History
A map of the area (1912) shows that what is now Rhodes Avenue was called Hampton Rd underlining that at this point there was no association with the Rhodes family. The renaming came later possibly in 1930 when the school was built.
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