If there’s a conservatoire in Britain with a more beautiful site, then I don’t know of it. Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance occupies King Charles Court which lies at the heart of the Old Royal Naval Hospital at Greenwich and was designed by Christopher Wren for Charles II. The river is a few yards away gleaming a wintery silver on the day of my visit. The building is elegantly grandiose. I’m not surprised to learn that parts of The Crown and Bridgeton have been filmed there.
Formerly at Mandeville Place in Marylebone, Trinity College moved down the river – with ceremonial razzamatazz and music – in 2001. The merger with Laban, which had a new (2002) building in nearby Deptford came four years later. Thus was formed an unusual (probably unique) college linking music and dance. In 2003 it acquired the performance venue Blackheath Halls and it also has a site in New Cross. It has a totalover 1400 students. “We are still working on unity and cohesion” says Tessa Gillet, Head of Brand and Communications. This college wasn’t created like this”.
