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Rochelle School & Club Row
Cleaning and Repair
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Built between 1878 and 1879 for the London School Board, Rochelle School was designed by the Board’s architect Edward Robert Robson. Constructed as a Victorian school serving the rapidly growing East End, the building formed part of an ambitious programme of educational architecture across London.
Over time the school closed, but the building found new life. Since 1999 it has been carefully regenerated as a creative hub, now known as Rochelle School & Club Row, home to architects, designers, photographers, and the well-known Rochelle Canteen at its centre.
Client
James Moores Organisation
Dates
June 2015
—
April 2016
Location
London
Grade listing
Grade II
Fabric
Lead
Brick
Stone
Architects
Quinn Architects
Preparing the Historic Fabric
By 2015, areas of the external masonry required conservation to address weathering and accumulated pollution. DBR London was commissioned to undertake a programme of façade cleaning and masonry repairs aimed at restoring the building’s brickwork while preserving its Victorian character.
The works began with the cleaning of the old brickwork, including masonry steam cleaning to remove surface deposits and reveal the original colour and texture of the bricks.
Repairing the Decorative Brickwork
Particular attention was given to the building’s gauged brickwork and decorative moulded elements. DBR carried out careful rebuilding of moulded red and yellow stock brickwork where deterioration had occurred, ensuring that replacement bricks matched the original profiles and materials.
Restoring the Masonry
Additional repairs included stone replacement where damaged elements required renewal. Brick joints were repointed using appropriate mortar to restore structural cohesion across the façade.
Protecting the Building for the Future
To complete the works, new lead cappings were installed to protect vulnerable areas of the masonry from water penetration. Through these carefully executed interventions, DBR London helped preserve the historic fabric of Rochelle School, allowing the former Victorian classroom building to continue its life as a thriving creative community in Shoreditch.
