| The Place | |
|---|---|
| Camden, London | |
 The Place | |
  The Place Location within London | |
| Coordinates | 51°31′38″N0°7′43″W / 51.52722°N 0.12861°W |
| Type | Drill Hall |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1888–1889 |
| Built for | War Office |
| Architect | Robert Edis |
| In use | 1889 – present |
The Place is a dance and performance centre in Duke's Road near Euston in the London Borough of Camden. It is the home of London Contemporary Dance School and the Robin Howard Dance Theatre, and formerly the Richard Alston Dance Company.
The building was designed by Robert William Edis as the headquarters of the 20th Middlesex (Artists') Volunteer Rifle Corps and built by Charles Kynoch and Company of Clapham between 1888 and 1889. [1] It was officially opened by the Prince of Wales. [1] The 20th Middlesex (Artists') Volunteer Rifle Corps became the 28th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Artists' Rifles) in 1908. [2] The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to the Western Front. [3] When the London Regiment was broken up and the battalions reallocated to other units in August 1937, the hall became the home of the Artists Rifles, The Rifle Brigade. [4] The unit was disbanded in 1945, after the Second World War, but reformed again in the Rifle Brigade in January 1947 but transferred to the Army Air Corps in July 1947 as the 21st Special Air Service Regiment (Artists Rifles). [5] The drill hall fell vacant when the 21st Special Air Service Regiment moved out to the Duke of York's Headquarters in the late 1960s. [6]
The drill hall, which had been colloquially known as "The Artists Place", became simply "The Place" when the Contemporary Ballet Trust took over the premises in 1969. [7] In 1976, the Contemporary Ballet Trust, under the leadership of Robin Howard, acquired the freehold of the premises as well as a site in Flaxman Terrace so facilitating an extension studio block to be built. [7]
In 1971, The Royal Shakespeare Company leased the building to provide them with a venue for new writing, experimental work and "small-scale examination of…classical work". The director was Buzz Goodbody. [8] [9]
Later in the 1970s, the Contemporary Ballet Trust established the London Contemporary Dance School and the London Contemporary Dance Theatre, both of which were formed at The Place; in 1994, the latter body was succeeded by the Richard Alston Dance Company which remained in residence at The Place until 2020. [10] Then in 1999, a major redevelopment programme, principally funded by the National Lottery, allowed the refurbishment of the original drill hall and the replacement of the studio block with six new state-of-the-art dance studios designed by architects Allies and Morrison. [11] Two further dance studios, the Weston Studio and the Monument Studio, were added in 2008. [12]
From 2004 to 2013, Bloomberg sponsored The Place Prize, a large contemporary choreography competition. [13] In September 2007, Kenneth Tharp OBE took up the new position of Chief Executive of The Place. [14] Tharp stepped down in November 2016 and was replaced, as interim chief executive, by Steven Browning. In summer 2017, Clare Connor was permanently appointed to the post. [15] [16]
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United States as 'The French and Indian War.' Subsequently numbered the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire. In 1958, the regiment joined the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and the Rifle Brigade in the Green Jackets Brigade and in 1966 the three regiments were formally amalgamated to become the Royal Green Jackets. The KRRC became the 2nd Battalion, Royal Green Jackets. On the disbandment of the 1st Battalion, Royal Green Jackets in 1992, the RGJ's KRRC battalion was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, Royal Green Jackets, eventually becoming 2nd Battalion, The Rifles in 2007.
The 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve), historically known as The Artists Rifles is a regiment of the Army Reserve. Its name is abbreviated to 21 SAS(R).
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House in the spring and a shorter season at the David H. Koch Theater in the fall; the company tours around the world the rest of the year. The company was scheduled to have a 5-week spring season at the MET preceded by a 2-week season at the Koch Theater beginning in 2020. ABT is the parent company of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, and was recognized as "America's National Ballet Company" in 2006 by the United States Congress.
The London Regiment was an infantry regiment in the British Army, part of the Territorial Force. The regiment saw service in the First World War and was disbanded in 1938, shortly before the Second World War, when most of its battalions were converted to other roles or transferred elsewhere and reformed in 1993. The London Guards date their formation to that of this Regiment in 1908.
The Post Office Rifles was a unit of the British Army formed in 1868 from volunteers as part of the Volunteer Force, which later became the Territorial Force. The unit evolved several times until 1935, after which the name was lost during one of many reorganisations.
London Contemporary Dance School is a contemporary dance school located in London, England and a part of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. It was founded by Robin Howard in 1966 to train new dancers for his company, London Contemporary Dance Theatre.
The Queen's Westminsters were an infantry regiment of the Territorial Army, part of the British Army. Originally formed from Rifle Volunteer Corps, which were established after a French invasion scare of 1859. The unit became part of the newly established London Regiment on the formation of the Territorial Force in 1908. It was subsequently amalgamated in 1921 with the Civil Service Rifles, and became a territorial Battalion of the King's Royal Rifle Corps in 1937. It ceased to exist as separate entity after it was amalgamated in 1961.
RADA Studios is a theatrical venue in Chenies Street in Bloomsbury, just to the east of Tottenham Court Road in the West End of London. Owned by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), the building contains rehearsal rooms, meeting rooms, and the 200-seat Studio Theatre.
The London Irish Rifles (LIR) was a reserve infantry regiment and then company of the British Army. The unit's final incarnation was as D Company, the London Regiment. On 1 April 2022 soldiers in the company transferred to foot guards regiments and the company became No 15 (Loos) Company, Irish Guards.
Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp CBE, is a British dance artist, who was chief executive of The Place (2007–16) and director of the Africa Centre, London (2018–20).
The 1st Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers, later the 8th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, but known informally as the 'Isle of Wight Rifles', was an auxiliary unit of the British Army formed to defend the Isle of Wight after a mid-19th Century invasion scare. During World War I it fought in the Gallipoli Campaign, taking part in the calamitous attack at Suvla Bay, and later at the battles of Gaza and Megiddo in Palestine. Between the wars it was converted to coast defence artillery and served in this role on the Isle of Wight throughout World War II. One battery was sent to reinforce the garrison of Tobruk, where it was captured in 1942. Postwar the unit converted to the air defence role, then reverted to infantry, and its successors continue in today's Army Reserve.
The Paddington Rifles was a unit of the Territorial Army.
Fulham House is a military installation at 87 Fulham High Street, Fulham, London. It is a Grade II listed building.
The London Rifle Brigade was a volunteer regiment of the British Army.
The St Giles's and St George's Bloomsbury Rifle Volunteer Corps, more familiarly known as the Bloomsbury Rifles, was a Volunteer unit of the British Army in London from 1803 to 1814 and from 1860 until 1908.
The Davies Street drill hall is a former military installation in Davies Street, London.
The Buckingham Gate drill halls were military installations at 58 and 59 Buckingham Gate, London.
The West Princes Street drill hall is a former military installation in Glasgow, Scotland.
The Victoria Road drill hall is a former military installation in Glasgow.
The Exeter & South Devon Volunteers was the premier unit of Britain's Volunteer Force. Formed in 1852 it went on to become a battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. Both its active service battalions went to garrison India on the outbreak of the First World War, and then saw action in Mesopotamia and Palestine. In the Second World War, the battalion served in the garrison of Gibraltar. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army until it was merged with other West Country units. Its successors today serve in a reserve battalion of The Rifles.
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