Grade 11 listed mansion now the hub of the Deutsche Schule.
A Stuart mansion built originally in 1680 for the Cole family who had lost their former residence in Petersham Park when it became enclosed to form part of Charles 1st hunting park. The house acquired the name Douglas House when it was inherited in 1725 by Kitty Hyde, the wife of Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensbury. The Duchess patronized the arts and especially John Gay, who wrote and rehearsed the Beggars Opera here. In 1969, the German Government purchased Douglas House and it now forms the hub of the main German School in the UK and has been added to with numerous further buildings around it. The “London” (DSL) has provided a primary and secondary German education in Britain for more than 30 years.
The DSL helps both German and British companies attract high-quality German staff and attempts to ease the social integration of newcomers and their families into London. More than 650 pupils from 20 nationalities attend the school, from Kindergarten to Abitur – the internationally recognised university entrance qualification – and every year pupils from DSL take up places at universities both in the UK and abroad. DSL follows a German curriculum and provides a broad education with bilingual elements. A wide range of extra-curricular and social activities bind the school firmly to the local community.
