Beethoven Street School was opened in 1881 to serve the community of the newly-built Queen's Park Estate.
In the playshed of the school in September 1885, the first woodwork class in elementary schools in London was opened. The instructor was J .T Chenoweth. As the expenditure was illegal, it was disallowed and the class was temporarily suspended.
The course re-started with money provided by the City and Guilds Institute and was later taken up by the London School Board as a model for other schools.
