Video: The Peggy Spencer Archive

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A photo from Peggy Spencer's Archive of the Penge Latin Formation Team performing in 1963.

We're opening up the virtual doors to our archives and delving into the story of ballroom dancer and choreographer Peggy Spencer.

Born in 1920, Margaret Ann "Peggy" Spencer was a British dancer, who ran the Royston Ballroom in Penge, South London, for many years with her husband Frank. Penge had an important place in Peggy's heart, with her Latin formation team being known as the Penge Latin Formation Team.

Peggy choreographed for the Burn the Floor dance show and has even worked with the iconic musicians of the sixties: the Beatles.

Discover the stories of Peggy's life below, where our Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Francesca dives further into the gems found in Peggy's Archive:

Videography by Julian Langham

Flick through images from Peggy Spencer's Archive

Image gallery

A gallery slider

A black and white photo of Peggy Spencer and her husband Frank dancing.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer with the Formation trophy. She is sitting down the trophy is on a table to her left. She's looking at the camera and the photo is in black and white.

Formation trophy

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
An image of Peggy Spencer from the Peggy Spencer Archive.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
An image of Peggy Spencer holding up a photograph of a horse.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A row of dancers performing on a street. This photo is part of the Peggy Spencer Archive.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A photograph of the Penge Formation Latin team, which is part of the Peggy Spencer Archive.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A picture of Peggy Spencer speaking into a microphone, with Lionel Blair next to her, who has his arm around her.

Peggy Spencer with Lionel Blair

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer and her dancers performing on Surprise Surprise with Cilla Black.

Surprise Surprise Cilla Black

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer standing next to three people, being awarded a trophy at Blackpool.

Blackpool trophy

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer with Esther Williams. Peggy is holding a teddy bear and smiling at the audience, as she stands on stage.

Peggy Spencer with Esther Williams

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer standing next to a sign that says: "Spencer Dance Centre".

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A picture of Peggy Spencer dancing with her husband Frank. Written on the photo it says: "Good health, good friends, and good dancing, from Frank and Peggy".

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A picture of four people dancing on stage, with their left legs up in the air, and clapping underneath their legs. They are smiling and looking at the camera.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A group of people dancing on stage, with this image taken from the Peggy Spencer Archive.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer and her husband Frank. Frank is wearing a suit and Peggy is to his right, wearing a black shirt and yellow skirt.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A sepia photo of dancers. The girls are kneeling on the floor, with the men standing behind them. In the middle is Peggy Spencer waving.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer and her husband Frank. Peggy is holding a trophy, with this photo taken from the Peggy Spencer Archive.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer and four other people at an unveiling of a portrait image. They are all looking at the photo.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer and her husband Frank dancing on a ballroom floor, with people watching them.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer and her husband Frank sitting down with various trophies in front of them.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Nine images of Peggy and Frank dancing placed together as a scrapbook.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A picture of Peggy Spencer from her archive.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A picture of Peggy Spencer making a speech on stage. On the podium, it says: "Carl Alan Awards".

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer standing behind a DJ booth at a dance.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A black and white image of Peggy and her husband Frank. Underneath the image, it says: "Frank and Peggy Spencer mBE together at t heir home in Penge, London in the 1950s".

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer dancing on a riverside. This image is part of her archives.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A black and white photo of the original Penge team, led by Peggy Spencer, performing. The woman are curtsying on the dance floor with the men standing next to them. An audience is seated around them.

Original Penge team

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Two men and two women dancing, who were part of the original Penge team.

Original Penge team

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A black and white photo of the original Penge team performing.

Original Penge team

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A black and white photograph of the original Penge team performing. Three women are dancing with three men in hold.

Original Penge team

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Dancer being filmed by the BBC at Royston.

BBC pre filming Royston

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Dancers being filmed by the BBC at Royston Ballroom.

BBC pre filming Royston Ballroom Penge

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Dancers performing on stage as part of Dancing Years. The men are in suits and the woman in white long dresses, and they performing as couples.

Dancing Years

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A photo from Peggy Spencer's Archive of the Penge Latin Formation Team performing in 1963.

Penge Latin 1963

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A photo of the Penge Latin team performing on stage in 1963. A band is behind them and five couples are on stage,

Penge Latin 1963

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Dancers performing at Royal Albert Hall. They are on the dance floor with an audience surrounding them.

Royal Albert Hall

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Nine dancing pairs kneeling on a ballroom floor, with the trophy in front of them.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A photo of Peggy Spencer with seven dancers, standing beneath an "Exit Only" sign.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer holding a trophy, surrounded by dancers, in Blackpool in 1990.

1990 Blackpool

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spence being given a trophy in 1990 at Blackpool, surrounded by dancers clapping.

1990 Blackpool

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Four dresses are being displayed in this black and white images, with puffy white skirts and white and black bodices.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A photo taken of a television screen where two dancers are about to perform. A band is behind them.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A photo of Peggy Spencer wearing a blue shirt and glasses and smiling. A man is standing behind her in a suit, and holding a red book.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Nine photos of Peggy and Frank performing with text that says: "Come dancing by Frank and Peggy Spencer, forward by Eric Morley, introduction by Peter West".

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer holding a lion cub.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Two male dancers and two female dancers in front of a stage. The female dancers are standing in front of the male dancers, with their right leg placed in front of their left, and they're wearing flamingo style dresses.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Eight couple on a dance floor, twirling round. They are in a circle as they move. A band is playing behind them.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Peggy Spencer and her husband Frank holding a trophy.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A group photo of dancers from Peggy Spencer's archive.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A photo of Peggy writing, and her husband Frank standing behind her.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
A photo of Peggy Spencer sitting down, she's wearing a black pleated skirt and a white top.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Two women and two men dancing, with the women in flamingo style dresses. Behind them is a sign that says: "Let's dance".

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive
Two men and two women dancing, with a band behind them. The women are wearing strapless black dresses and the men are wearing suits.

Credit : Peggy Spencer Archive

Put on your dancing shoes...

Peggy's Ballroom and Latin American Formation teams became the best in the world, with her ballroom formation team being invited to dance twice at Buckingham Palace.

But that wasn't Peggy's only brush with fame, as she also choreographed the Beatles dancing to the song Your Mother Should Know in the film Magical Mystery Tour.

Thanks to Helena, Peggy Spencer's daughter, we now hold Peggy's archive, and we also organise the annual Peggy Party in our Great Hall, where we bring out the archive and get our dancing shoes on.

If you'd like to further explore Peggy's life, our Researchers' Area will be reopening on 17 May, and we'd love to welcome you to discover more about this much-loved dancer and choreographer.

Discover more about Peggy's life
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