Our History

Our Legacy of Artistic Excellence

History of Heatherleys

Founded in 1845, Heatherleys is one of Britain’s longest-established independent art schools and a cherished institution in the history of art education. Originally known as Leigh’s Academy, the School was renamed after its influential principal, Thomas Heatherley, and has earned a reputation as a bastion of traditional fine art training.

We are proud of our history of shaping both the practice and education of fine art in Britain. Heatherleys was the first school to admit women to the life room on equal terms with men, and our alumni have gone on to define pivotal artistic movements and institutions. Among our former students are members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, and Edward Burne-Jones, as well as key figures such as Sir Edward Poynter, the first Principal of the Slade School of Art, and Walter Crane, an early Principal of the Royal College of Art.

Our Alumni

Many distinguished artists received their early training at Heatherleys:

Michael Ayrton (1921-1975) • John Bagnold Burgess (1829-1897) • Elizabeth Thompson Butler (1846-1933) • Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834-1890) • Walter Crane (1845-1915) • Philip Hermogenes Calderon (1833-1898) • Dorothy Burroughes (1883-1963) • William Russell Flint (1880-1969) • Sir Alfred Gilbert (1854-1934) • Kate Greenaway (1846-1901) • Frederick Goodall (1822-1904) • Laura Herford (1831-1870) • Henry Holiday (1839-1927) • Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898) • Franz Kline (1910-1962) • Anna Blunden (1829-1915) • Edwin Longsden Long (1829-1891) • LeRoy Foster (1925-1993) • Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830-1896) • Iain Macnab (1890-1967) • Henry Stacy Marks (1829-1898) • John Everett Millais (1829-1896) • Emily Mary Osborn (1828-1925) • Sir Edward John Poynter (1836-1919) • Henrietta Rae (1856-1928) • Fred Roe (1864- 1947) • Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) • Henry Ryland (1856- 1924) • E.H. Shepard (1879-1976) • Walter Sickert (1860-1942) • Steven Spurrier (1878-1961) • Posy Simonds (b.1945)