Writtle University College is a

university college In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

located in

Writtle The village and civil parish of Writtle lies west of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It has a traditional village green complete with duck pond and a Norman church, and was once described as "one of the loveliest villages in England, with a ravishi ...

near

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

. It was founded in 1893. Writtle obtained University College status in May 2016. Its countryside estate features a wide range of facilities, including a working farm, an equine centre, science laboratories, design studios, a canine therapy clinic, a specialist animal unit and sports provision including the UK's first permanent 3x3 basketball courts.

Overview

The university college teaches undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in subjects including: * Art * Agriculture * Animal Science * Animal Management * Canine Therapy * Equine * Horticulture * Sport & Exercise Science * Veterinary Physiotherapy Further education courses include: * Apprenticeships * Agriculture * Animal Studies * Conservation (Land and Wildlife) * Equine * Floristry * Horticulture (Gardening and Landscaping) * Sport Dr.

Stephen Waite Stephen Waite is a British academic who was Vice-Chancellor of Writtle University College (near Chelmsford, Essex) one of the largest land-based university colleges in the UK. Waite lives in Hassocks with his wife and has two daughters. Before h ...

was appointed as the new Principal in Spring 2013 and changed his job title to Vice-Chancellor upon the college obtaining University status. He retired in August 2017 and was succeeded by Professor Tim Middleton. Writtle University College was granted Taught Degree Awarding Powers (TDAP) by the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

in March 2015. Jimmy Doherty

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

became Writtle University College's Founding Chancellor in 2016. She was succeeded by farmer and television presenter

Jimmy Doherty Jimmy Doherty (born 24 May 1975) is an English television presenter and farmer. A childhood friend of Jamie Oliver, Doherty is known for the show '' Jimmy's Farm'', detailing the operation of the Essex Pig Company that he and his wife Michaela ...

in 2022. Celebrity gardener

Alan Titchmarsh Alan Fred Titchmarsh HonFSE (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, broadcaster, TV presenter, poet, and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a gardening journalist, he established himself as a media personality through a ...

previously acted at the college's patron.

History

Established in 1893, the college was originally known as County Laboratories, teaching agriculture and horticulture and becoming the County Technical Laboratories in 1903. In 1912 it became East Anglian Institute of Agriculture. It changed its name to Essex Institute of Agriculture, Writtle in 1939 and moved to the Writtle Estate in 1940. In 1914, teaching temporarily halted following the outbreak of the First World War. 'Writtle College, The First Hundred Years' by Clive Beale and Geoff Owen, states that some staff left to join the armed forces while others were seconded to the War Agricultural Committee, which had taken over the institute. During the Second World War, the Institute supported the Dig For Victory Campaign with advice on crop production, gardening, plant protection and livestock. The campus was also central to work carried out by the Women's Land Army in Essex and taught short, three week training courses. It became Writtle Agricultural College in 1969, Writtle College in 1989 and Writtle University College in 2016.

Awards and Achievements

* The Writtle floristry team won the Gold award at the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 2012 for their exhibition entitled "Lady of Shallot" and Silver the following year for their exhibition "Rock Around the Clock". * The University College's further education

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 ...

students won a Gold award at the

Young Gardeners of the Year competition in 2014, having previously won Silver in 2013 and 2012 and Bronze in 2011. They then won 'Best in Show', 'Gold' and 'People's Choice' awards, presented by

David Domoney David Martin Domoney, C Hort. FCI Hort (born 26 March 1963) is an English Chartered Horticulturist and celebrity gardener. He co-presents the TV gardening programme ''Love Your Garden'', alongside Alan Titchmarsh, and is the resident gardene ...

, at the

Ideal Home Show The Ideal Home Show (formerly called the Ideal Home Exhibition) is an annual event in London, England, held at Olympia . The show was devised by the ''Daily Mail'' newspaper in 1908 and continued to be run by the ''Daily Mail'' until 2009. It wa ...

Young Gardeners of the Year competition in 2015. * In 2019, Writtle University College was named the British Florist Association's 'Floristry Training Provider of the Year' and University College lecturer Elaine Thackray was awarded the title 'Floristry Tutor of the Year'. * Writtle University College received one of England's highest student satisfaction ratings in the 2020 National Student Survey, when 92% of participating students agreed with the statement: "overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course”. In 2021, members of the student-run Gaia Club launched a campaign to plant over 700 new trees on Writtle University College's countryside estate.

Northumberland Building Light Well Mosaic

In 2006 British artist

Anne Schwegmann-Fielding Anne Schwegmann-Fielding (born 1967) is a British sculptor and mosaic artist, who has been producing artworks made from recycled materials since the early 1990s. Schwegmann-Fielding established her studio in Colchester, Essex in 1993, a coupl ...

installed a mosaic sculpture in the light well of the Northumberland Building foyer. Based on an aerial photograph of the college, the installation was the culmination of a 2005 Leverhulme Trust grant titled 'The Landscape of Mosaic' which also saw the development of a mosaic meadow which combined artist's source materials and wild flowers.

References

Bibliography

External links

{{authority control University of Essex Educational institutions established in 1893 Agricultural universities and colleges in the United Kingdom 1893 establishments in England