Studley Horticultural & Agricultural College for Women was a horticultural and agricultural college for women, near Studley in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, which operated from 1898 until 1969.

History

The college was founded by

Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Greville, Countess of Warwick (''née'' Maynard; 10 December 1861 – 26 July 1938) was a British socialite and philanthropist. Although embedded in late- Victorian British high society, she was also a campaigning sociali ...

. In 1898 she had founded Warwick Hostel in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

to offer training to 'surplus women in the lighter branches of agriculture'. Warwick Hostel expanded and moved to

Studley Castle Studley Castle is a 19th-century country house at Studley, Warwickshire, England. The Grade II* listed building is now occupied as a Warner Leisure Hotel but was once owned by the Lyttelton family before being bequeathed by Philip Lyttleton to ...

in 1903, becoming Studley Horticultural & Agricultural College for Women. An early student was

Adela Pankhurst Adela Constantia Mary Walsh ( Pankhurst; 19 June 1885 – 23 May 1961) was a British born suffragette who worked as a political organiser for the WSPU in Scotland. In 1914 she moved to Australia where she continued her activism and was co-found ...

, and an early warden (1908-1914, 1918-1922) was Dr

Lillias Hamilton Lillias Anna Hamilton (7 February 1858 – 6 January 1925) was a British doctor and author. She was born at Tomabil Station, New South Wales to Hugh Hamilton (1822– 1900) and his wife Margaret Clunes (née Innes). After attending school in Ay ...

Students included

Taki Handa Taki Handa (1871–1956) was a Japanese horticulturist, best known for designing and directing the construction of a Japanese garden in Scotland in 1908. Early life Handa was born in Kurume, Kyushu. Her father was a prison guard who also mended ...

, a student and instructor at

Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts '' , mottoeng = I am the true vine , established = Founded Chartered 1949 , type = Private , affiliation = , endowment = , debt = , rector = , officer_in_charge = , chairman ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, who studied at Studley from 1906 to 1907 and designed a garden at Cowden Estate in

Muckhart Muckhart ( gd, Muc-Àird) commonly refers to two small villages in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, Pool of Muckhart ( gd, Poll Mhuc-Àird) and Yetts o' Muckhart. Muckhart is one of the Hillfoots Villages, situated on the A91 around northeast of ...

, Scotland. The College students undertook hard practical work in its greenhouses and vegetable gardens. In 1920

Helen Ekins Helen Ekins (9 November 1879 – 4 June 1964) was a British horticulturist and educational administrator associated with Studley College which trained women in agriculture, in Warwickshire. Life Ekins was born in St Albans. Her parents were Eliz ...

completed a part-time degree in horticulture at

Birmingham University , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

. Hamilton lauded her as the "most highly qualified... in horticulture in England". Hamilton had to retire due to ill health four years later and Ekins became her the new warden. The college offered a Diploma in Horticulture from 1924 and this was a three year course. In 1934 the college offered a degree course of the University of London leading to a BSc in horticulture. Ekins was to serve as warden until 1946, when Mrs. K.G.Woolacott, became the new warden. The

plant collector Plant collecting is the acquisition of plant specimens for the purposes of research, cultivation, or as a hobby. Plant specimens may be kept alive, but are more commonly dried and pressed to preserve the quality of the specimen. Plant collecting i ...

Clara Winsome Muirhead Clara Winsome Muirhead (6 January 1916 – 7 March 1985) was a Scottish botanist and plant collector who spent most of her career at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh and was an expert on mosses, cacti, and succulents. Life Clara Winsom ...

studied horticulture at Studley between 1933 and 1935. The College remained an all-women college throughout its existence, closing in 1969. The assets were used to found the Studley College Trust, a charitable trust that awards grants to students of agriculture and horticulture. The

Museum of English Rural Life The Museum of English Rural Life, also known as The MERL, is a museum, library and archive dedicated to recording the changing face of farming and the countryside in England. The museum is run by the University of Reading, and is situated in Red ...

holds a collection of horticultural trophies and medals, and archival material relating to Studley College. Studley Castle has since become a conference centre and wedding venue.

References

External links

Searchable resource for photographs of Studley Horticultural College in the early years

Studley Castle web site, showing the premises as they are today

Studley College Trust

The Agrarian History of England and Wales volume VII 1850-1914, editor E.J.T. Collins, series editor Joan Thirsk, Cambridge University Press 2011
Defunct schools in Warwickshire History of Warwickshire {{Warwickshire-struct-stub