Sarum College is a centre of theological learning in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

, England. The college was established in 1995 and sits within the cathedral close on the north side of Salisbury Cathedral. The Sarum College education programme ranges from short courses to postgraduate level, including certificates, diplomas and master's degrees courses in Christian Spirituality, Theology, Imagination and Culture. The onsite theological library holds a collection of more than 35,000 books and journals and is open to students and the general public. The college is a meeting and conference centre for groups, organisations and businesses and welcomes individuals for private stays, including B&B, study breaks, sabbaticals and retreats.

History

The history of theological study begins with Saint Osmund and the completion of the first cathedral at

Old Sarum Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, South West England, is the now ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. Situated on a hill about north of modern Salisbury near the A345 road, the settlement appears in some of the earliest r ...

in 1092. After Old Sarum was abandoned in favour of

New Sarum Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

(or Salisbury, as it came to be known) and the new cathedral was built in the 1220s, several colleges were established. There is a long-standing tradition that there was a medieval school of theology on the site of No. 19. It was at this time that Salisbury nearly became a university city to rival

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, but history took a different turn. The main building at the front of the site was built in 1677 and has long been attributed to Sir Christopher Wren for Francis Hill, a distinguished London lawyer and deputy recorder for Salisbury. He chose a particularly striking site, at the north end of Bishop's Walk, facing directly down to the Bishop's Palace (now the Cathedral School). The house remained in the Hill family until the end of the 18th century. In February 1952 the main building was designated as a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Establishment

Walter Kerr Hamilton Walter Kerr Hamilton (16 November 1808 – 1 August 1869) was a Church of England priest, Bishop of Salisbury from 1854 until his death. Life He was born in 1808, educated at Eton College, tutored by Thomas Arnold, and then attended Christ Chur ...

Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...

, established Salisbury Theological College in 1860 – buying the house (then No. 87) from Charlotte Wyndham – and the first students arrived in January 1861. In the 1870s the college expanded, with the addition of a residential wing (the Butterfield Wing) to provide accommodation for students, and then a chapel. A donation of £4,750 was given by Sidney Lear, sister of the archdeacon, for the new buildings. The extensions were designed by

William Butterfield William Butterfield (7 September 1814 – 23 February 1900) was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement (or Tractarian Movement). He is noted for his use of polychromy. Biography William Butterfield was born in Lon ...

, one of the foremost church architects of his time and best known for Keble College, Oxford. The chapel was consecrated in 1881.

20th century

Eight students of the college were killed in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(1914–18) and a memorial in the chapel records their names. In 1937 further extensions were added – consisting of study bedrooms for students, a new library (now the common room) – designed by William Randoll Blacking. These rooms are now known as the Baker Wing. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

(1939–45) the college was taken over by the women of the

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...

and Queen Mary paid them a visit. Apparently the creepers which covered the front of the building were hastily removed, as the Queen did not like them.

Merger

In October 1971 the two theological colleges of Salisbury and Wells merged. The Wells students came to No. 19 and the Salisbury and Wells Theological College was formed. The arrival of extra students required more space and two extensions were built: a three-storey block of flats and study bedrooms at the eastern end of the Butterfield building (the East Wing) and a new chapel, refectory and library at the northern end.

Present

In 1994 the Salisbury and Wells College closed, and the following year Sarum College was established on the same Salisbury site to provide a place of ecumenical theological education. It also provided ministerial training through the

Southern Theological Education and Training Scheme STETS (Southern Theological Education and Training Scheme) was a ministerial training scheme for church ministers in southern England, based in Salisbury. Its functions were absorbed by Sarum College, also in Salisbury, in 2015. History STETS ...

(STETS), which closed in 2015 after the college absorbed its functions.

Present academic staff

*Paul Burden – Coordinator, Centre for Formation in Ministry and Director of Contextual Learning *Beth Dodd – Programme Leader for Postgrad Programmes in Theology, Ministry and Mission. *Keith Elford – Programme Leader for Leadership Learning *Ellen Farmer – Associate Tutor in Spiritual Direction *Jill Hopkinson – Tutor in Rural Ministry, Centre for Formation in Ministry *Eleanor McLaughlin – Programme Leader, Theology, Imagination and Culture *Julia Mourant – Programme Leader, Sarum Course in Spiritual Direction and Tutor in Spiritual Formation and Biblical Studies *Karen O'Donnell – Programme Leader, Centre for Contemporary Spirituality *Jayme Reaves – Director of Academic Development *Jessica Scott – Tutor and Lecturer, Centre for Formation in Ministry *Kim Stephens – Chaplain, Centre for Formation in Ministry *James Woodward – Principal *Sonia Woolley – Scholar in Residence

List of principals

Sarum College *James Woodward (2015 to present) *Keith Lamdin (2008 to 2015) *Tim Macquiban (2003 to 2008) *

Bruce Duncan Robert Bruce Duncan (10 October 1928 – 7 May 2005) was an Australian politician. He was the member for Lismore in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1965 to 1988, first as a member of the Country Party and then as an independ ...

(1995 to 2003) Salisbury Theological College *

Edward Eddrup Canon Edward Paroissien Eddrup (1823 – 13 November 1905) was a Church of England clergyman who spent most of his career in Wiltshire, England. The eldest son of Edward Charles Eddrupp, Esq., of St Catherine Cree, in the City of London, he was b ...

(from 1861) *John Daubeny (1868 to 1878) * Robert Moberly (1878 to 1880) *E. B. Ottley (1880 to 1883) *Benjamin Whitefoord (1883 to 1907) * Robert Abbott (1907 to 1913) *Charles Tunnacliff Dimont (1913 to 1936) *

Brian Burrowes Arnold Brian Burrowes (5 October 1896 – 15 November 1963) was an eminent bishop in the mid part of the Twentieth century. Early life He was born on 5 October 1896 and educated at Wellington and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. His family came ...

(1937 to 1950) *Harold Wilson (1965 to October 1971) Salisbury & Wells Theological College *Harold Wilson (October 1971 to 1973) *

Reginald Askew Reginald James Albert Askew (16 May 1928 – 9 April 2012) was a British Anglican priest and academic. He was Principal of Salisbury and Wells Theological College from 1973 to 1987, and Dean of King's College London King's College Lon ...

(1973 to 1987) *Philip Crowe (1988 to 1995)

References

External links

* {{authority control Higher education colleges in England Bible colleges, seminaries and theological colleges in England Buildings and structures in Salisbury Anglican seminaries and theological colleges Educational institutions established in 1995 Religion in Wiltshire Grade I listed buildings in Wiltshire 1995 establishments in the United Kingdom William Butterfield buildings Anglican buildings and structures in the United Kingdom