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Since fire broke out at Battersea Arts Centre two weeks ago, its staff have provided a shining example of crisis management, says Deborah Bull. She highlights some lessons to take from their handling of the disaster.

On Friday 13th March, at 4.20pm, fire broke out in one of London's best loved cultural hubs, destroying the Grand Hall and offices of a 120 year-old building that for over 35 years has been Battersea Arts Centre.

Built in 1893 by Edward Mountford as Battersea's Town Hall, this distinctive landmark has been a focal point for the local area over generations: Christabel and Emmeline Pankhurst - pioneering campaigners for Women's Suffrage - presided over meetings in Battersea Town Hall and London's first black Mayor, John Archer, was elected here in 1913.

In 1970, the building was saved from demolition and then, in 1979, it was rescued once again and reinvented as an independent arts centre. From that point on, Battersea Arts Centre - BAC - has been led by a series of inspirational figures and has forged a new identity and purpose as a locally relevant, nationally significant venue making work of international importance. It has pioneered new practices in contemporary theatre-making - like immersive theatre, as exemplified in Punchdrunk's Masque of the Red Death in 2007, or 'Scratch' development processes, through which Jerry Springer the Opera was born in 2001. At the same time, it has always been integral to local life, to family activities, classes, workshops, weddings and evenings out... Keep reading on The Huffington Post