About us

Our Facilities

Built in 2010, to accommodate the Music and Drama departments of Sevenoaks School, The Space is a performing arts centre for the school and the surrounding community. The structure of the award-winning building is largely inspired by Snape Maltings and the Barbican.

Covering over 2000m², The Space provides an environment suited to both professionals and students. It has welcomed a diverse set of artists including The Sixteen, the King’s Singers, Sir Willard White, Joe Stilgoe, clarinetist Emma Johnson, the London Welsh Male Voice Choir, and a range of authors and speakers including Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy and Charlie Higson. We also host events for the local community, including the annual Sevenoaks Summer Festival.

Largely built from natural materials, the building uses the latest sustainable technologies and is naturally ventilated, with ground water cooling. The building has solar water heating, and all spaces feature daylight and automatic lighting controls. Large windows and the many views from space to space give the building excitement and vitality. There are four main facilities available to hire within The Space: Pamoja Hall, Sackville Theatre, the Ordovsky-Tanaevsky Drama Studio and Recital Room. There are also additional spaces available to accompany events held in The Space, including the Lower Foyer, bar and gallery spaces. For more information on each venue, please read more in Venue Hire section.

The Sackville Theatre was designed by Roderick Ham and opened in 1981 by Sir Ralph Richardson. It was built as a performance space for Sevenoaks School, which boasts a strong tradition of school theatre productions dating back to the nineteenth century. In 2010 it was renovated and incorporated into The Space.

Our Awards

The Space has won numerous awards: the Commercial & Public Access category in the 2010 Wood Awards, Best Education Building in the 2010 Brick Awards, and an RIBA Award (South East Region) in 2011. It was also nominated for the Kent Design Award 2012 for Best Public Building.

“Artfully modelled fluid spaces, crafted and detailed with care and quality. From public performance to intimate practice spaces, each is related but yet perfect to its own function ”

RIBA Jury
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