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The History of the Mansergh-Woodhall Club

The history of this remarkable building in Hill Road, St.John's Wood, is a legacy from a few determined people over the past 125 years to create a golden gateway of the sun - a building that, during the turn of the Century, has been completely re-built in a mighty altruistic effort to suit the social changes and economic escalation of modern society.

The Mansergh was originally built in 1910 to house a boys club run by Paul Neuman, their motto was As Dogged As Does It. During the War the building was requisitioned by the Civil Defence as a temporary Mortuary and the Boy's Club was disbanded. After the War Les Kirby saw the opportunity to use it for Scouting and after agreeing a lease the Group moved into their new HQ in 1946.

In 1967 the Group raised funds to secure the freehold and it became their permanent home. Over the next 30 years Group members and revenue declined and the building fell into disrepair. In 1997 a team of Old Scouts formed a committee to redevelop the site and the new Mansergh was completed in 2004.

The current new building has a fabulous hall with a fully sprung wooden floor sunken below street level and a canteen servery attached. A climbing wall is at one end, glass balcony linking round from street level to meeting rooms and store cupboards. Scouts and Leaders meeting rooms complete the building with plenty of storage for equipment and memorabilia.

Time Capsule

At the top of this page you will see an image of a golden plaque that marks the location of a time capsule that our Scout Group buried in the front drive.

• Learn more about the Mansergh
• Old Mansergh
• New Mansergh
• The Cabin
• Sanctum

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