Category Archives: Princes Ward

Celebrating the Beaufoy at the Open House Festival

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On 14-15 September 2024, the London Diamond Way Buddhist Centre at the former Beaufoy Institute had the pleasure of welcoming visitors from across London for the Open House Festival. Over 50 guests joined us for a special exploration of the Beaufoy, a Grade II listed Edwardian building that has been transformed into the London Diamond Way Buddhist Centre over the past decade. The sunny weather provided a perfect backdrop for the event, enhancing the vibrant and welcoming atmosphere as children played, visitors chatted, and a relaxed vibe permeated the building.

Guests were guided through the Beaufoy’s partially restored Great Hall, smaller meditation hall, lounge, and areas still undergoing renovation. These tours offered valuable insights into the building’s history, from its origins as a school for underprivileged children to its current role as a dynamic Buddhist centre. Guests were particularly impressed by the scale of the Beaufoy and the dedication of our sangha members who manage this significant project on a voluntary basis.

Buddhist talks and guided meditations conducted by local Buddhist teachers provided a deeper understanding of Diamond Way Buddhist teachings and practice.

Guests also enjoyed watching videos featuring talks by notable Buddhist teachers of the Karma Kagyu lineage, including Thaye Dorje, the 17th Karmapa and Lama Ole Nydahl. Additionally, the display of books and magazines provided further opportunities for learning and exploration of Buddhist teachings.

On their way to the pop-up Beaufoy café, located on the annex’s ground floor, guests were treated to a selection of cakes and savoury treats, and visitors could also enjoy the “Diamond Way Buddhism in the UK” photo exhibition, which showcased the history of the Beaufoy and the journey of Diamond Way Buddhism in the UK. The exhibition, along with an informative banner detailing the building’s history, offered valuable context and appreciation for the past and present.

The blend of historical exploration, spiritual insight, and community engagement created a memorable experience for all who attended. The organisers were very grateful to everyone who joined and contributed to the success of the weekend and look forward to future opportunities and events of this kind.

Some photos of the event can be viewed here (© Anthony Warner)

Beaufoy Institute removed from the Heritage at Risk Register

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Today the London Diamond Way Buddhist Centre was contacted today by Historic England (the UK government organisation that looks after England’s most valuable historic buildings). Historic England confirmed that they are going to remove the Beaufoy Institute from the Heritage at Risk Register, their ‘red list’, on which the Beaufoy had been for many years after it was left derelict in the 1990s. Having conferred with Lambeth Council on the matter earlier this year, they said: “in view of the great success of your work and the way the building is now occupied and in good beneficial use [we will] remove [the Beaufoy] from our Heritage at Risk Register”

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Beaufoy Institute sale benefits Lambeth

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When the Beaufoy Institute was sold last year, Lambeth Council promised that a portion of the proceeds would be spent on local regeneration projects.
The Beaufoy Institute itself, on Black Prince Road, was bought by Diamond Way Buddhism UK, and the plot of land bordered by Sancroft Street and Vauxhall Way was bought by Bellway Homes. In total, from this sale there is some £200,000 to spend on regenerating Prince’s Ward.
On Wednesday 6th November, Lambeth councillors Cllr Lorna Campbell, Cllr Mark Harrison, and Cllr Stephen Morgan announced the results of their planning and community consultation – the projects on which the money from the Beaufoy sale would be spent. They will also finance these projects with the money from the development at the Old Lilian Baylis School.
The projects that will benefit are:

Durning Library: Lambeth Council are already investing several hundred thousand pounds in this local library, and this extra money (£7,000 from the Beaufoy Institute sale and £19,000 from the Old Lillian Baylis School sale) will go towards improving the IT equipment.

Lollard Street Adventure Playground: The playground was recently handed from Lambeth Council to the Kennington Association, who are planning to transform the area in a big way, which will be helped by a huge £113,000 from the Beaufoy Institute sale and £37,411 from the Old Lillian Bayliss School sale.

Tyers St greening: Creating a grassy corridor from Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens right through to Black Prince Road by greening over Tyers Street is a plan from the Vauxhall Gardens Estate Residents and Tenants’ Association. £10,000 from the Beaufoy Institute sale will fund a traffic study to investigate the effect this could have.

Relandscaping “the pit” outside Coverley Point: The sunken area outside the two 1960’s blocks on Vauxhall Walk is to be made more attractive using £30,000 from the Beaufoy Institute sale and £10,000 from Old Lillian Bayliss School sale.

Since the Beaufoy Institute was founded to benefit the people of Lambeth, it is fitting that its recent change in ownership will have a clear and very local benefit.
You can read about the plans in detail on the SE11 Action Team blog