Fine Arts College is an independent college in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, London, founded in 1978, with an average intake of 200 students aged 13 – 19. The College offers over 25 A-level subjects in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and 15 subjects at GCSE. Students entering Year 9 follow an academic curriculum alongside creative subjects, art, music and drama. In 2023, the school achieved 45% A/A* in A-level and 41* 9-7 in GCSE. Fine Arts runs a one year Portfolio course to prepare students for degree courses at university and art school. The Principal is Candida Cave and the Head is Emmy Schwieters.

History

The College was founded in 1978 by artists Nicholas Cochrane and Candida Cave and was originally located in the YMCA on Tottenham Court Road and specialised in the teaching of Art and History of Art. In 1982, the College relocated to Belsize Park and expanded its curriculum to cover the 25 subjects it teaches today. In 1994, the GCSE department opened, followed by Year 9 entry in 2018. In 2002 the College moved to Centre Studios, a converted Victorian dairy in Englands Lane, which remains its main site today. In 2015 the College became part of the Dukes Education Group.

Buildings

The College operates across three separate sites within about 200 yards of one another, located between Belsize Park, Chalk Farm and Swiss Cottage tube stations. The main site, Centre Studios, houses the academic departments and the Fine Art, Graphics, Music, Music Technology, Media, Textiles, Film Studies, and Drama studios. The two other sites are the Photography studios and Maths and Science departments in Lambolle Place.

Notable former pupils

* Theo Adams, artist and director *

Alfie Allen Alfie Evan Allen (born 12 September 1986) is an English actor. He portrayed Theon Greyjoy on all eight seasons of the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Ou ...

, actor *

Brooklyn Beckham Brooklyn Joseph Peltz Beckham (born 4 March 1999) is the son and firstborn child of former footballer David Beckham and fashion designer and Spice Girls member Victoria Beckham. Beckham has previously modelled and has an interest in photography. ...

, model and photographer, son of

David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...

and

Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline, Lady Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spic ...

* Sara Berman & Aimee Berman, fashion designers *

Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in The Lord of the Rings (film series), ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series (2001–03). He reprised his r ...

, actor *

JJ Feild John Joseph Feild (born 1 April 1978) is a British American film, television, and theatre actor. He started his television career in 1999. He played Fred Garland in Philip Pullman's ''The Ruby in the Smoke'' and ''The Shadow in the North'' tele ...

, actor *

Mae Muller Holly Mae Muller (born 26 August 1997) is an English singer. She rose to prominence in 2021 after releasing the single "Better Days (Neiked, Mae Muller and Polo G song), Better Days", a collaboration with Swedish music collective Neiked and Ame ...

, singer *

Kayvan Novak Kayvan Novak (born 23 November 1978) is a British actor and comedian.Kadivar, DariuSyriana breaks Iranian stereotypes, ''Persian Mirror''. Retrieved 3 August 2007. He co-created and starred in the comedy series ''Fonejacker'' (2006–2008) an ...

, actor and director *

Mel Raido Mel Raido (born 1977) is a Jamaican-born English actor. Raido moved to London at three years old. After taking elocution lessons, he started to become hooked by the acting bug at school and studied at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.< ...

, actor * Coco Sumner, singer *

Amelia Warner Amelia Warner (born Amelia Catherine Bennett; 4 June 1982), also known by her stage name Slow Moving Millie, is an English musician, composer, and former actress. Early life Warner was born Amelia Catherine Bennett in Birkenhead, Merseyside, t ...

, actress * Liam Watson, music producer * Lila Moss, Model * Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark, model and member of the Greek Royal Family *

Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, List of awards and nominations received by Helena Bonham Carter ...

, actress * Rafferty Law, actor and model *

Johnny Borrell Jonathan Edward Borrell (born 4 April 1980) is an English guitarist and singer, currently the frontman of the rock band Razorlight, of which he is the only consistent original member. Early life and career Borrell was born in Sutton, London. H ...

, guitarist and singer * Lady Elizabeth Iris Clara Paget, actress and model *

Eliza Doolittle Eliza Doolittle is a fictional character and the protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's play '' Pygmalion'' (1913) and its 1956 musical adaptation, ''My Fair Lady''. Eliza (from Lisson Grove, London) is a Cockney flower seller, who comes to Prof ...

, Singer * Jane Green, Author * Jazzy de Lisser, actress and model

References

External links

School website
{{Schools and colleges in Camden 1978 establishments in England Art schools in London Belsize Park Educational institutions established in 1978 Private co-educational schools in London Private schools in the London Borough of Camden School of Visual Arts