The Lycée at the centre of London’s French community

In August 1914, the German army invaded Belgium. Britain, having promised to protect the nation’s borders, responded by declaring war. Over the course of that conflict, some 250,000 Belgian refugees arrived in Britain – many of them living with local families and working on farms or in factories.

This sudden arrival of Belgians in Britain inspired Agatha Christie’s most famous invention: Hercule Poirot. It also inspired a new school near Victoria Station: the main terminus for the Dover ‘boat train’ and a hub for soldiers during that conflict. Known as the French School of London, it was started by a teacher named Marie d’Orliac and educated some 120 francophone pupils.

The school was founded so that these children could keep learning a French syllabus during the fighting. However, once the war was over, demand for a French education continued. So, the school was renamed Lycée Français de Londres in 1920, opening on a larger premise at 1-7 Cromwell Gardens – opposite the Victoria & Albert Museum.

In 1936 the institution relocated once more, this time to a purpose-built school on Queensbury Way. It was constructed from grey brick by A.J. Thomas, who had trained under the celebrated architect Edwin Lutyens before establishing his own practice. Next door was the marvellous Art Deco design of the French Institute, a government organisation for promoting the language and culture of France.

Within a few years, the school was on the move again. With the outbreak of another war and the threat of bombs falling in London, the school was evacuated to Cambridge, and later to a series of buildings on the shores of Lake Ullswater. Meanwhile, the Queensbury Way school became offices for the Free French in London.

At this point, the school and the institute were closely connected. Soon after the fall of France, the governor of the institute had announced his support for General de Gaulle. He also used his contacts in London to help convince Britain that the Free French were the leaders of the resistance against German occupation. When de Gaulle arrived in London, he was welcomed by British politicians.

During the war, de Gaulle was headquartered at 3-4 Carlton Gardens. However, many French exiles worked in the school and the institute, planning a new constitution for when their country was liberated. To this day, a plaque records its role in the resistance and the fighters who passed through these buildings before losing their lives in France.

In 1945, the school reopened – though several surrounding buildings were destroyed by the Blitz. The war had brought many more French to London, while the following baby boom increased demand for the school. Teachers rented accommodation in the Boltons for junior classes and acquired the bombed terraces on Cromwell Road.

The school continued to grow, constructing laboratories and new classrooms. It also expanded into the mews behind Cromwell Place, which still housed stables into the mid-Sixties, filling the classrooms with the smell of horses. Furthermore, primary schools were started in Clapham, Ealing and Fulham.

By the second half of the twentieth century, the school was welcoming many notable French politicians. General de Gaulle visited for the final time in 1960 – two decades later, the school was renamed Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in his honour. It also hosted François Mitterand and Jacques Chirac, as well as Princess Anne for the centenary celebrations.

Equally impressive are the students who have passed through its classrooms. These include the illustrator Sir Quentin Blake, actress Natasha Richardson, journalist India Knight, and politician Dominic Grieve. Not to mention hundreds of international families drawn to RBKC and the surrounding neighbourhoods.

Born from conflict, and enduring more than a century of upheaval, the Lycée has become a focal point for French expats in London. Along with the patisseries, international cinema and French consulate, it gives these neighbourhoods a Gallic atmosphere. And it’s one of the main reasons why South Kensington has become the centre for the French community in London. Their Little Paris, or home away from home.