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Central Saint Martins

King's Cross campus of Central Saint Martins
Established	1854 – Saint Martin's School of Art 1896 – Central School of Art and Design 1910 – Byam Shaw School of Art 1963 – Drama Centre London 1989 – Central Saint Martins
Parent institution	University of the Arts London
Head	Rathna Ramanathan
Location	London, United Kingdom 51°32′8″N 0°7′30″W / 51.53556°N 0.12500°W / 51.53556; -0.12500
Campus	Urban
Address	Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, King's Cross, London, N1C 4AA
Website	arts.ac.uk/csm

Central Saint Martins is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art university in London, England. The college offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of short and summer courses.

It was formerly known as Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, and before that as Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.

History

Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design was formed in 1989 from the merger of the Central School of Art and Design, founded in 1896, and Saint Martin's School of Art, founded in 1854. Since 1986 both schools had been part of the London Institute, formed by the Inner London Education Authority to bring together seven London art, design, fashion and media schools. The London Institute became a legal entity in 1988, could award taught degrees from 1993, was granted university status in 2003 and was renamed University of the Arts London in 2004. It also includes Camberwell College of Arts, Chelsea College of Arts, the London College of Communication, the London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Arts.

The Drama Centre London, founded in 1963, joined Central Saint Martins in 1999 as an integral school, maintaining its name and teaching approaches. The Byam Shaw School of Art, founded in 1910, was merged into Central Saint Martins in 2003.

Central School of Art and Design

The Central School of Art and Design was established as the Central School of Arts and Crafts in 1896 by London County Council. It grew directly from the Arts and Crafts movement of William Morris and John Ruskin. The first principal, from 1896 until 1911, was William Richard Lethaby; a blue plaque in his memory was erected in 1957. The school was at first housed in Morley Hall, rented from the Regent Street Polytechnic. It moved to purpose-built premises in Southampton Row, in the London Borough of Camden, in 1908. In the same year the Royal Female School of Art, established in 1842, was merged into the school. Central became part of the London Institute in 1986, and merged with Saint Martin's in 1989.

Saint Martin's School of Art

Saint Martin's School of Art was established in 1854 by Henry Mackenzie, vicar of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. It became independent from the church in 1859. Frank Martin became head of the sculpture department in 1952; he brought in young sculptors and recent graduates of the department as teachers. Among these, Anthony Caro was particularly influential. The group around him came to be known as the New Generation of British sculptors and the sculpture department of Saint Martin's became, in the words of Tim Scott: "the most famous in the art world". Saint Martin's became part of the London Institute in 1986, and merged with Central in 1989.

Drama Centre London

The Drama Centre London was founded in 1963 by a breakaway group of teachers and students from the Central School of Speech and Drama, led by John Blatchley, Yat Malmgren and Christopher Fettes. The school was a member of Drama UK and its undergraduate acting course was accredited by Drama UK. The Drama Centre London merged with Central Saint Martins in 1999. The University of the Arts London decided in 2020 to close it.

Byam Shaw School of Art

Byam Shaw School of Art was founded by the artists John Byam Shaw and Rex Vicat Cole in 1910 as a school of drawing and painting. It was originally located in Campden Street, Kensington, and moved to larger premises in Archway in 1990. It was subsumed by Central Saint Martins in 2003.

Awards and assessment

In 1998 the London Institute received a Queen's Anniversary Prize for the "massive contribution" of Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design to the growth of the fashion industry in Britain. The University of the Arts London received a Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2013, for the contribution of CSM industrial and product design graduates to commerce, industry and the design profession.

CSM does not receive independent assessment in the Complete University Guide league tables, but is ranked as part of the University of the Arts London. In 2014 the university received an overall ranking of 67 out of 124 institutions, with a rank of 102 for graduate prospects and 123 for student satisfaction with teaching. In 2018 it was placed 83rd out of 129 universities, with a rank of 125 for student satisfaction.

Schools and location

Teaching at Central Saint Martins is organised into nine programmes, which include acting, art, design, fashion, graphics and jewellery and textiles, as well as foundation courses.

Central Saint Martins moved to a converted warehouse complex on Granary Square at King's Cross in 2011. Most of the college is housed there, but it also uses the former Byam Shaw building in Elthorne Road, Archway, and premises in Richbell Place, Holborn.

Staff and alumni

Among the alumni of the school are the Turner Prize winner Laure Prouvost, the musician Jarvis Cocker, and many fashion designers, including John Galliano, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Zac Posen and Riccardo Tisci.

In 2022 Rathna Ramanathan became head of the college, succeeding Jeremy Till who had been in the post since 2012.

References

1. ^ (11 July 2022). UAL appoints Dr Rathna Ramanathan Pro Vice-Chancellor & Head of College, Central Saint Martins. University of the Arts London. Archived 6 March 2023.
2. (2007). Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design. Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Accessed October 2015.
3. Natasha Lennard (29 September 2008). Best British Art Schools. The Times. (registration required)
4. ^ Julie Tancell (2002). Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design Archived 14 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine. AIM25: Archives in London and the M25 area. Accessed September 2014.
5. Alex Needham (22 June 2011). A change of scene for Central Saint Martins. The Guardian. Accessed August 2013.
6. ^ (August 2012). University of the Arts London (formerly The London Institute) A Brief History. University of the Arts London. Archived 10 November 2013.
7. Lethaby, William Richard (1857–1931): Plaque erected in 1957 by London County Council at Central School of Arts and Crafts, Southampton Row, Holborn, London WC1B 4AP, London Borough of Camden. English Heritage. Accessed July 2013.
8. Overview: Central School of Arts and Crafts. Oxford Reference. Accessed July 2013.
9. Julie Tancell (2002). GB 2753 Central School of Art and Design Archived 14 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine. AIM25: Archives in London and the M25 area. Accessed July 2013.
10. Malcolm Le Grice (2011). History Lessons Archived 5 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Frieze Issue 142, October 2011. Accessed July 2013.
11. Overview: St Martin's School of Art. Oxford Reference. Accessed July 2013.
12. Bruce McLean (2 March 2004). Frank Martin: Visionary teacher who inspired a generation of great British sculptors (obituary). The Guardian. Accessed August 2013.
13. "Drama UK Member Schools". Drama UK. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
14. "Drama Centre London". Drama UK. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
15. Adele Redmond (12 March 2020). Drama school to close after review reveals courses 'pushed students to the edge'. Arts Professional. Archived 21 January 2023.
16. Matthew Hemley (6 March 2020). Drama Centre London to close following damning review. The Stage. Archived 7 April 2022.
17. The London Institute Archived 2 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine. The Royal Anniversary Trust. Accessed September 2013.
18. Previous Prize Winners Archived 26 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine. The Royal Anniversary Trust. Accessed September 2014.
19. (15 July 2013). University of the Arts London. The Independent. Accessed August 2013.
20. University League Table 2014. Complete University Guide. Archived 6 April 2014.
21. University League Table 2018. Complete University Guide. Archived 9 August 2017.
22. Our Programmes. University of the Arts London: Central Saint Martins. Accessed September 2014.
23. Locations and Map. University of the Arts London: Central Saint Martins. Archived 20 August 2014.
24. Caroline McClatchey, Alex Murray (16 September 2011). Fashion week: Why does Central Saint Martins produce so many designers?. BBC News. Accessed February 2015.
25. Jeremy Till (n.d.). Jeremy Till - Professor of Architecture. University of the Arts London: Central Saint Martins. Archived 27 September 2022.

v t e University of the Arts London
Colleges and subdivisions	Camberwell College of Arts Central Saint Martins Chelsea College of Arts London College of Communication London College of Fashion Stanley Kubrick Archive Wimbledon College of Arts
University	Campus Camberwell Elephant and Castle Kings Cross Hackney High Holborn Merton Park Millbank Oxford Street Wimbledon People Academics Alumni Chairman: Grayson Perry Vice-chancellor: Nigel Carrington Other History
Affiliates	London Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange Universities UK
Category Commons

v t e Art schools in the United Kingdom
Art school List of art schools
England	London City and Guilds of London Art School Fine Arts College Goldsmiths, University of London Heatherley School of Fine Art Putney School of Art and Design Ravensbourne University London Royal Academy Schools Royal College of Art Royal Drawing School UCL Slade School of Fine Art University of the Arts London Camberwell College of Arts Central Saint Martins Chelsea College of Arts Wimbledon College of Arts Other Arts University Bournemouth Bath School of Art and Design Birmingham Institute of Art and Design Coventry School of Art and Design Falmouth University Hastings School of Art Hereford College of Arts John Lennon Art and Design Building Leeds Arts University Lincoln College of Art Manchester School of Art Northern School of Art Norwich University of the Arts Nottingham Trent University, School of Art and Design Open College of the Arts Plymouth College of Art Ruskin School of Art University for the Creative Arts Winchester School of Art
Scotland	Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design Edinburgh College of Art Glasgow School of Art Gray's School of Art Leith School of Art
Wales	Cardiff School of Art & Design
Category

• University of the Arts London
• Art schools in London
• Communication design
• Design schools in the United Kingdom
• Drama schools in London
• Fashion schools in the United Kingdom
• Fashion journalism
• Educational institutions established in 1854
• Graphic design schools
• 1854 establishments in England
• Arts organizations established in 1854
• Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Camden
• Education in the London Borough of Camden