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__NOTOC__ Capel Manor College is a special environmental college located in
Enfield, London Enfield is a large town in north London, England, north of Charing Cross. It had a population of 156,858 in 2018. It includes the areas of Botany Bay, Brimsdown, Bulls Cross, Bullsmoor, Bush Hill Park, Clay Hill, Crews Hill, Enfield Hig ...
. The College has six campuses across the capital, Brooks Farm (Leyton), Crystal Palace Park, Enfield, Gunnersbury Park, Mottingham and Regent’s Park. It has a body of over 3,000 students that is a mixture of school leavers and adults.


History

In 1913 the Capel Manor estate in Enfield was privately owned by the Warren family, who were tea merchants, before being sold to Colonel Sydney Medcalf in 1932. Colonel Medcalf was passionate about horticulture and Clydesdale horses, and introduced soil steam sterilization to the Lea Valley Glasshouse industry. After the Colonel’s death in 1958, parts of the estate were sold off and it became quite neglected. However, it was Frances Perry, a local horticulturist, who succeeded with her vision of transforming the Capel Manor estate into a horticultural college with gardens open to the public. In 1968, the first 15 students started at what was then called the Capel Manor Centre for Horticultural Education, and in the same year Perry became the first woman to be elected onto the RHS Council. The Duchess of Devonshire became Patron of the College and Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles became a trustee in 1985. Capel Manor College built its first garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, ‘Garden for Everyone’, and won a Silver-Gilt medal. The College has continued to exhibit at the show, picking up several awards along the way. The College’s Royal connections continued in 2000 when the new Duchess of Devonshire Pavilion at the College’s Enfield Campus was opened by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II opened the Old Manor House Garden in 2010. By 2013, Capel Manor College offered 65 courses across its campuses in subject areas such as, animal management, saddlery, horticulture, garden design, arboriculture and floristry. The Royal Agriculture University became a partner and validating university for all degrees at the College in 2015. 2018 saw Capel Manor College celebrate its 50th anniversary and win Gold at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Gold at the Ideal Home Show, and in 2019 the College’s students, apprentices and staff, designed and built the world’s largest show garden at The Game Fair event held at Hatfield House. Christine Bianchin is the current Principal of the College.


Curriculum

Students at the college tend the gardens as part of their programme of study. Courses include agriculture, animal management,
horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
,
saddlery Tack is equipment or accessories equipped on horses and other equines in the course of their use as domesticated animals. This equipment includes such items as saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, and harnesses. Equipping a horse ...
,
arboriculture Arboriculture () is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. The science of arboriculture studies how these plants grow and respond to cultural practices and to their environme ...
,
floristry Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related su ...
, wildlife and environmental conservation, and
garden design Garden design is the art and process of designing and creating plans for layout and planting of gardens and landscapes. Garden design may be done by the garden owner themselves, or by professionals of varying levels of experience and expertise. ...
.


Facilities

Students are given the opportunity to obtain real-world experience and help take care of the College’s estates, gardens, farms, zoos and commercial businesses across its six campuses. The College’s Enfield Campus is also home to Capel Manor Gardens, which features over 30 acres of 60 colourful gardens that are open to the public, along with the UK’s only holly maze, a zoo, a florist (Manor Flowers) and a restaurant. Forty Hall Farm is a certified organic farm in Enfield run by Capel Manor College, it is home to a variety of animals, including many rare breeds, and London’s only commercial vineyard, as well as a community orchard, market garden, farm shop and a certified organic veg bag scheme. Students can also study agriculture and horticulture here, gaining first-hand, practical experience as part of their learning. Capel Manor College’s Crystal Palace Park Campus is located within the National Sports Centre, serving as an education hub for environmental learning in South London. Students contribute to the welfare of the Park and its green areas, as well as care for the animals at Crystal Palace Park Farm. Similarly, the Gunnersbury Park Campus has working access to parts of Gunnersbury Park, enabling students the chance to gain practical experience in a real-world environment. The Mottingham Campus in South East London has beautiful grounds that extend into woodland, where honey is harvested from bees and the animals are regularly exercised. The Regent’s Park Campus is located within the Inner Circle of Regent’s Park, and the College works in partnership with The Royal Parks to increase the options for horticulture and garden design training for people living and working in inner London.


Notable alumni

* Kim Wilde * Florence Headlam * Arit Anderson


See also

*
List of universities and higher education colleges in London London has one of the largest concentrations of universities and higher education institutions in the world. It has 40 higher education institutions (not counting foreign Universities with London branches) and has a student population of more th ...


References


Sources

''Capel Vine'', Friends of Capel Manor, issue 4, 1997


External links

*
Capel Manor College


* ttp://studyfinder.org/english-colleges/capel-manor-college/ Capel Manor College profile on Studyfinder.org {{Authority control Further education colleges in London Learning and Skills Beacons Education in the London Borough of Enfield Agricultural universities and colleges in the United Kingdom