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Our History

1996

artsdepot was conceived by the local community in 1996 through a conference called Barnet 2000 which addressed what new and improved services the borough’s residents would like to see in Barnet at the new Millennium. What emerged from Barnet 2000 was an overwhelming need for more professional arts facilities, in fact a larger version of The Bull Arts Centre in High Barnet, which was then the only professional, if small, arts centre in the borough.

The London Borough of Barnet then put the project in motion and teamed up with developers Taylor Woodrow and The Bull Arts Centre’s director, Alison Duthie, to develop plans for North Finchley’s regeneration and what was to become artsdepot. The site on which artsdepot was built had been empty, apart from a weekly market that was relocated to the nearby Lodge Lane car park, for over 20 years, since the Gaumont cinema closed down in the 1970s and later demolished in the 1980s.

1999

In 1999 Chris Baldwin, a specialist theatre designer from ACT Theatre Consultants, and a team of architects from Ruddle Wilkinson, were appointed to design a major residential and commercial development, to contain a multi purpose art centre with performance and visual arts spaces.

2001

In December 2001 the project was officially launched by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, when the building works began and the name, artsdepot, was unveiled.

2003

Miranda Richardson skimming off the top of the last brick

June 2003 then saw the celebrations continue with a traditional ritual – The Topping Out Ceremony, which marked the end of the building works. Actor and artsdepot patron Miranda Richardson was the guest of honour who sportingly skimmed off the top of the last concrete brick and contractors MJ Gleeson circled a lucky yew tree around the near completed building with their huge crane.

A number of pre-opening events around the borough including the extremely popular Play! Children’s festival at Friary Park, which attracted over 10,000 people and a season of pre-launch events at The Bull, successfully paved the way to artsdepot’s opening.

2004

artsdepot finally opened to the public for the first time on Saturday 23 October 2004 and welcomed over 2,500 visitors through its doors for its Community Open Day. This was followed by a unique family day on Sunday 24 October under the banner of Play! Children’s Arts Festival, catering for a further 1,500 young children and families.

On Tuesday 26 October North Finchley laid out the red carpet for a very special guest HRH The Earl of Wessex who officially declared the building open and unveiled a ceremonial plaque.

Dancer from the Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company

The glitz and glamour continued at artsdepot’s VIP guest and press launch where invited dignitaries from the arts world, funding bodies and the press toasted the success of the building. Inspiring entertainment was provided by specially commissioned performances from the Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company and world renowned classical percussionist Evelyn Glennie.

artsdepot’s first season (October – December 2004) was an extremely busy and exciting one, with a record number of sold out performances and an influx of positive comments and words of encouragement from local residents and new audiences.