Subjects
Williamson and Pearse recruited 950 local families to be part of "The Peckham Experiment". Paying one shilling (5 pence) a week, they had access to a range of activities such as physical exercise, swimming, games and workshops. Members underwent a medical examination once a year, and they were monitored throughout the year as they participated in the Centre’s events. Central to Scott Williamson's philosophy was the belief that left to themselves people would spontaneously begin to organize in a creative way, and this happened, the members initiating a wide range of sporting, social and cultural activities using the facilities offered by the Centre.
The Pioneer Centre was designed by Sir Owen Williams and moved away from the idea of traditional lines dominating medical buildings. Williams created a large open space using the latest structural techniques allowing the Centre's doctors to properly observe the members. At the middle of the Centre a large swimming pool was covered by a glazed roof, which, along with large areas of windows, allowed natural light in to the building. These windows could be fully opened to circulate fresh air into the building. The cork floors allowed people to move about barefoot.
Read more about this topic: The Peckham Experiment
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“I have come, Sire, to complain of one of your subjects who has been so audacious as to kick me in the belly.”
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