Plymouth Marjon University, commonly referred to as Marjon, is the trading name of the University of St Mark and St John, a university based primarily on a single campus on the northern edge of

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, Devon, United Kingdom. Formerly named University College Plymouth St Mark & St John, the institution was awarded full university status in 2013. The Vice-Chancellor of the university is Rob Warner who joined in March 2017.

History

Former college building on Fulham Road (geograph 4219951)

The university's history dates back to the foundation by the National Society (now National Society for Promoting Religious Education) of the constituent London colleges of St John's College in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

, London (1840) and St Mark's College in Chelsea, London (1841). The former chapel of St Mark's College, designed by

Edward Blore Edward Blore (13 September 1787 – 4 September 1879) was a 19th-century English landscape and architectural artist, architect and antiquary. Early career He was born in Derby, the son of the antiquarian writer Thomas Blore. Blore's backg ...

is on the Fulham Road, Chelsea, and is now a private residence. St Mark's College was founded upon the beliefs of The Reverend

Derwent Coleridge Derwent Coleridge (14 September 1800 – 28 March 1883), third son of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was a distinguished English scholar and author. Early life Derwent Coleridge was born at Keswick, Cumberland, 14 September 1800 (Derwent Water i ...

, son of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, its first principal: that its primary purpose was to widen the educational horizons of its students. During the First World War, St Mark's College was requisitioned by the War Office to create the 2nd London General Hospital, a facility for the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

to treat military casualties. St John's College was established by Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, together with

Edward Carleton Tufnell Edward Carleton Tufnell (27 October 1806, Marylebone, London (then part of Middlesex) – 3 July 1886 Belgravia, London ) was an English civil servant and educationist. Education He was educated at Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford, gain ...

, as a teacher training institution. These colleges merged in 1923, establishing a single institution in Chelsea as the College of St Mark & St John. In 1973 came the move to Plymouth due to the college outgrowing the Chelsea campus. In 1991 the college became affiliated to the University of Exeter, which accredited it to run undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to degree awards of the University of Exeter, and in 2007, gained University College status, as the University College Plymouth St Mark & St John. It was awarded full university status as Plymouth Marjon University in 2013.

Campus

The university campus is located several miles north of Plymouth city centre, next to

Derriford Hospital Derriford Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Plymouth, England. The hospital serves Plymouth and nearby areas of Devon and Cornwall. It also provides tertiary cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery and renal transplant surgery for the whol ...

. Residential accommodation is provided, with all first-year students guaranteed a place. In 2013 a major investment programme in campus facilities was completed, with new sport and exercise science laboratories, extensive indoor and outdoor sports provision, a theatre, a media centre and a music studio.

Academic profile

Notable alumni

Sharon Berry Sharon Berry is the founder and CEO of the UK non-profit charity Storybook Dads Storybook Dads is a non-profit charity in the UK founded by Sharon Berry and first launched in HM Prison Dartmoor in 2003. The charity enables serving prisoners ...

, founder of the

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charity *

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, bass guitarist, founder member of

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, inspiration for '' The Vicar of Dibley'' * Sir

Lewis Casson Sir Lewis Thomas Casson MC (26 October 187516 May 1969) was an English actor and theatre director, and the husband of actress Dame Sybil Thorndike.Devlin, DianaCasson, Sir Lewis Thomas (1875–1969) ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biograph ...

, established the Actors' Association which became the British Actors' Equity Association. *

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, former Bishop of Winchester *

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, London 2012 Olympic gold medal-winning rower and 2013 World Championship Gold Medal winner *

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, former Conservative MP for

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, in 1912 held the best-ever triple jump record by an English-born athlete *

Ernest Millington Ernest Rogers Millington (15 February 19169 May 2009) was a British Common Wealth and later Labour Member of Parliament (MP). Following the death of John Profumo on 10 March 2006, Millington was the only living former MP from the 38th Parl ...

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

MP for Chelmsford 1945–50, and was the last surviving member of the House of Commons elected during the Second World War (he died in 2009). * Ron Pickering, athletics coach and BBC sports commentator * Paul Potts, English tenor. Winner of ITV's '' Britain's Got Talent'' 2007 *

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, Nigerian educationalist and administrator. *

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, author, activist, poet, film and documentary maker * Sir

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, secretary of the Football Association, responsible for the purchase of the first Wembley Stadium *

Ian Whybrow Ian Whybrow (born 3 May 1941) is a British writer of children's books, first published in 1989. He has written over 100 books for children, has been translated into 27 languages and is published in 28 countries. His books are humorous and range ...

, children's author. * Anthony Willis, Paralympic games silver high jump and gold pentathlon winner.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mark And Saint John, University Education in Plymouth, Devon Educational institutions established in 1923 1923 establishments in England Plymouth Marjon Plymouth Marjon

History

Campus

Academic profile

Notable alumni

See also

References