The South-East Essex Technical College and School of Art (aka Dagenham School of Art) was a technical college and school of art based in Longbridge Road, Dagenham, a suburb in east London, formerly in Essex, England.
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History
The Becontree estate was the largest public housing project in the world when it was completed in the mid-1930s. Recognising the need for education but with no responsibility to provide it, the London County Council transferred 24 acres on the western edge of the estate to Essex County Council, who built a technical college (the South East Essex Technical College) and a secondary school (South East Essex County Technical School) on the site. The College opened in 1936, in a building designed by J.Stuart.
During World War II, the College was commandeered by the British Army and the Royal Air Force. The secondary school moved to a new site in Cannington Road in 1960 and was renamed the South East Essex Technical High School. The technical college was renamed Barking Regional College of Technology in 1965, following the creation of the London Borough of Barking. In 1969 it became the Barking Campus of the North East London Polytechnic, which in turn became the Polytechnic of East London in 1988 and the University of East London in 1992. In 2006 the campus was closed and sold for redevelopment by Taylor Wimpey. The agent for the sellers, being the University of East London, was Graham Bridgeman-Clarke of Bridgeman Clarke Chartered Surveyors, who coincidently was a former pupil. Flats in the main building is being marketed as "Mayesbrook Manor", and new buildings on the rest of the site are being branded "Academy Central".