The University of Kent has had an association with The Historic Dockyard for many years, but in 2006 it took over The Galvanising Shop to house its theatre and event design courses and from then it has never looked back.
In the past decade it has grown from these small beginnings to be the largest tenant on site at The Historic Dockyard. A steady, planned and comprehensive expansion policy has led to the University of Kent investing significantly in both the fabric and the fit out of the buildings it now occupies. The site is now home to the school of Music & Fine Arts and (since September 2015) the Kent Business School.
As the University has grown, so have the facilities offered to its staff and students. These have constantly evolved and are being further enhanced in September 2016 with the opening of a new restaurant and performance space. The facilities are supplemented by those at the university’s other campus just across the road from The Historic Dockyard (formally the barracks for the Royal Navy dockyard) and the Universities’ residential accommodation a short walk away.
Students don’t just benefit from impressive buildings, but also benefit and gain inspiration from their surroundings of The Historic Dockyard as a whole. This is particularly important to the Music & Fine Arts students who have access to the 84 acres of The Historic Dockyard for both inspiration and performance/exhibition space. During the academic year students can be found either painting, drawing or making video documentaries all over the site and the at the ‘end of year’ degree show, The Historic Dockyard comes alive with all manner of art and performance art installations across the site, which are an added attraction for all visitors.
The University of Kent and its students have become an integral part of the mixed use community at The Historic Dockyard and look set to become even more established over the coming years as talk of further expansion continues.
In addition to the University of Kent we are also pleased to have both the University of Greenwich and Mid Kent College as tenants, further increasing the student activity on site and the creative environment of The Historic Dockyard.