Founded in 1893, by the Worshipful Company of Carpenters', a City livery company, to train young people in a range of construction crafts. The first Chairman if the College was the architect, and author of the world renowned book 'A History if Architecture',  first published in 1896 and still in print today, Professor Banister Fletcher. The College occupied the same site in Central London from 1893 to 2001 before relocating to Stratford in East London in 2001.

The Building Crafts College is a specialist construction training college, accredited as a Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) in Traditional Building Crafts. It is constituted as an Educational Charity and is governed and financially supported by the Worshipful Company of Carpenters. There are 50 members of staff and some 600 enrolled students. Approximately 60% of income is derived from public sources, 25% in fees and 15% from charitable sources, mainly the Carpenters’ Company Charitable Trust.

In September 2001, the College relocated from Central London to a brand new building adjacent to Stratford regional and international stations in East London. The College is at the heart of major redevelopment associated with the London Thames Gateway, the Stratford Cuty development and on the boundary of the 2012 Olympics Park.

The College currently offers full-time courses leading to advanced craft diplomas in fine woodwork and stonemasonry, part-time courses for apprentices in carpentry, bench joinery, shopfitting benchwork, maintenance operations and stonemasonry. There are other part-time courses directed at specialist employers within the construction industry and local residents in East London. The College works in collaboration with the manufacturers to provide courses in metal roofing. In 2004, the College opened a satellite construction training centre for adults in the local community in Canning Town, inpartnership with East Thames Housing, to enable people hoping to develop their careers to gain a vocational qualification in Basic Construction Skills to support them in gaining employment.

The College is planning a further expansion of its core training activities, by introducing specialist conservation options and courses in the repair and maintenance of traditional buildings. By virtue of its CoVE status, the College will continue to play a strategic role in East London, working with statutory bodies to ensure that local residents are trained to take advantage of the considerable demand for construction skills in the Thames Gateway.