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INTRODUCTION Cleveland College of Art & Design (CCAD) or Government School of Art as it was then called was first opened in Church Street Atheneum, Hartlepool in 1874. In 1897, it moved to the top floor of Lauder Street Technical College where it remained until moving in 1939 to the vacated Church Square School, which was completely destroyed by fire in 1966.
Hartlepool, as a town, has changed dramatically over the last 140 years, but one thing has remained integral throughout this time– its art school. The resilience and robustness of the institution on its journey through changing trends, economies and distinctive art practices is instilled in all learners as they embark on their creative journey from scholar to creative industry professional.
The College remained there until the building was completely destroyed by fire in 1966. The new College of Art and Design opened on the same Church Square site in 1968 where it remains to this day – a true School of Art in every sense of the word.
We are so immensely proud of our surroundings that we have used striking images of them throughout this website to show you exactly what the area has to offer creatives.
GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT The college’s dedicated university level campus equals the top performing UK art and design institutions, with 96% of its 2014 graduates in work or further study six months after graduating, well above the national average of 89 percent. Not only have we out-performed all the regional universities, including Durham University, Northumbria University, Leeds College of Art, Teesside University and University of
Sunderland, we also rank joint 5th in the UK, beating prestigious names such as Oxford and Cambridge. Compared with other specialist art and design providers, CCAD now ranks number one alongside Ravensbourne in London, and is beating higher profile institutions such as University of the Arts London and the Glasgow School of Art.