The King's Cross campus of Central Saint Martins
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Established |
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Parent institution
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University of the Arts London |
Head | Jeremy Till |
Location |
London, United Kingdom Coordinates: 51°32′8″N 0°7′30″W / 51.53556°N 0.12500°W |
Campus | Urban |
Address | Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, King's Cross, London, N1C 4AA |
Website | arts |
Central Saint Martins, often abbreviated to CSM, is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It 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.
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. 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.
The Central School of Art and Design was established as the Central School of Arts and Crafts in 1896 by the 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. In 1908 it moved to purpose-built premises in Southampton Row, in the London Borough of Camden. 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.