The Place, London facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Place
Camden, London
The Place
The Place Location within London
Coordinates	51°31′38″N 0°7′43″W / 51.52722°N 0.12861°W / 51.52722; -0.12861
Type	Drill Hall
Site history
Built	1888–1889
Built for	War Office
Architect	Robert Edis
In use	1889 – present

The Place is a special building in London where people learn, create, and watch dance. It's located near Euston in an area called Camden. It's home to the London Contemporary Dance School and the Robin Howard Dance Theatre.

A Building's Journey: From Soldiers to Dancers

Early Days: A Home for Soldiers

The building known as The Place was first built a long time ago, between 1888 and 1889. It was designed by an architect named Robert William Edis. This building was originally a "drill hall." A drill hall is a place where soldiers practice their drills and train. This particular hall was built for a group of soldiers called the 20th Middlesex (Artists') Volunteer Rifle Corps. The Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII, officially opened it.

Over the years, the military groups using the hall changed names. For example, in 1908, it became the 28th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Artists' Rifles). During World War I, soldiers from this hall were sent to fight on the Western Front. After World War II, the military unit that used the hall was disbanded in 1945. It reformed later but eventually moved out in the late 1960s.

Becoming a Dance Center

When the soldiers moved out, the drill hall became empty. People used to call it "The Artists Place." In 1969, a group called the Contemporary Ballet Trust took over the building. They decided to simply call it "The Place."

In 1976, the Contemporary Ballet Trust, led by Robin Howard, bought the building. This allowed them to build new studio spaces for dance.

A Place for New Ideas

For a short time in 1971, The Royal Shakespeare Company used the building. They wanted a space to try out new plays and experimental work. A director named Buzz Goodbody led these efforts.

Growing as a Dance Hub

Later in the 1970s, the Contemporary Ballet Trust started two important organizations at The Place: the London Contemporary Dance School and the London Contemporary Dance Theatre. These became very important for modern dance in the UK. The London Contemporary Dance Theatre was later followed by the Richard Alston Dance Company, which stayed at The Place until 2020.

In 1999, The Place got a big upgrade. With money from the National Lottery, the original drill hall was made new again. The old studio block was replaced with six brand-new, modern dance studios. These were designed by architects Allies and Morrison. Even more studios, the Weston Studio and the Monument Studio, were added in 2008.

Dance Competitions and Leadership

From 2004 to 2013, a company called Bloomberg sponsored a big contemporary dance competition at The Place called The Place Prize.

The Place has also had different leaders over the years. Kenneth Tharp OBE became the Chief Executive in 2007 and stepped down in 2016. Steven Browning took over temporarily, and then Clare Connor was permanently appointed to the role in 2017.