Wesley House was founded as a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

college (or

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

) in

Jesus Lane Jesus Lane is a street in central Cambridge, England. Also located on Jesus Lane are Wesley House, Methodist theological college (or seminary), on the north side and Westcott House, a Church of England theological college, on the south side. ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a 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. Cambridge bec ...

, England. It opened in 1921 as a place for the education of Methodist ministers and today serves as a gateway to theological scholarship for students and scholars of the Wesleyan and Methodist traditions from around the world. It was a founding member of the

Cambridge Theological Federation The Cambridge Theological Federation (CTF) is an association of theological colleges, courses and houses based in Cambridge, England and founded in 1972. The federation offers several joint theological programmes of study open to students in memb ...

, an ecumenical body of theological colleges in Cambridge which is affiliated to but independent of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

History

The college was founded and endowed by

Michael Gutteridge Michael Gutteridge (1842–1935) was an English Methodist and businessman who founded a successful drapery business in Naples, and the Wesley House seminary in Cambridge, England. The Italian fashion brand Gutteridge still exists, using the stra ...

, a Methodist businessman in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, well known in Italy for philanthropy. After four years at 2 Brookside, Cambridge, in co-operation with

Cheshunt College Cheshunt ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London on the River Lea and Lee Navigation. It contains a section of the Lee Valley Park, including much of the River Lee Country Park. To the north lies Broxbourne and Wormley, Wal ...

, it moved in 1925 to its present site, which was purchased from Jesus College.British History Online
Retrieved 1 February 2012.
/ref> Wesley House Chapel

The principal's house was completed in 1929, and the chapel, originally with paintings by

Harold Speed Harold Speed (11 February 1872 – 20 March 1957) was an English painting, painter in oil painting, oil and watercolor painting, watercolour of portraits, figures and historical subjects. He also wrote instructional books for artists that remain ...

, in 1930. The buildings were designed by Maurice Webb and the garden designed in 1925 by Sir

Aston Webb Sir Aston Webb (22 May 1849 – 21 August 1930) was a British architect who designed the principal facade of Buckingham Palace and the main building of the Victoria and Albert Museum, among other major works around England, many of them in par ...

in a Tudor revival style. The chair of Systematics and Pastoral Theology was held by the first principal, Dr. Henry Maldwyn Hughes, from 1921 to 1937. He was the author of several works on Christian belief. That of New Testament Language and Literature was held by the Revd

Robert Newton Flew Robert Newton Flew (1886–1962) was an English Methodist minister and theologian, and an advocate of ecumenism among the Christian churches. Family and education Robert Newton Flew was born at Holsworthy, Devon, on 25 May 1886, the older son of J ...

from 1927 to 1937, when he succeeded Hughes both as principal and professor. One of the earliest students was

Donald Soper Donald Oliver Soper, Baron Soper (31 January 1903 – 22 December 1998) was a British Methodist minister, socialist and pacifist. He served as President of the Methodist Conference in 1953–54. After May 1965 he was a peer in the House of Lor ...

. Flew, principal up to 1955, was one of the moving forces behind the establishment of the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most juri ...

. Another alumnus was

Bolaji Idowu E Bolaji Idowu (1913–1995 was the third native-born leader of the Methodist Church Nigeria, serving from 1972 to 1984. He is also well known for his ethnographic and theological studies of the Yoruba people. Life Idowu was born on 28 September 1 ...

, who headed the

Methodist Church Nigeria Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

from 1972 to 1984. The three-sided court fronted by iron gates and railings became enclosed in 1973 by a new building housing flats for married students and a lecture theatre. This building no longer belongs to the college.

New buildings

On 1 September 2014 the Jesus Lane site was sold back to Jesus College and a long lease on the eastern part of the site taken out by the Trustees of Wesley House. The Principal's House and Chapel were retained, whilst a new gatehouse building containing a library, dining hall and teaching rooms were constructed in Jesus Lane, as was a block of student accommodation at the back of the site. The new buildings were opened in the 2016–2017 academic year in a ceremony featuring Prince Edward, an alumnus of next-door Jesus College.

Operation

The College is administered by a board of trustees. There is room for some 28, mostly graduate students, and for guests. The present Principal is Rev. Dr

Jane Leach Jane Leach is a British Methodist minister and academic, who specialises in pastoral theology. Since September 2011, she has served as Principal of Wesley House, a Methodist theological college in Cambridge. She was also President of the Cambrid ...

, who has written on faith development and pastoral care. Students working for the degrees of BTh, BA, MPhil and PhD are attached to a secular Cambridge University college or to

Anglia Ruskin University Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public university in East Anglia, United Kingdom. Its origins are in the Cambridge School of Art, founded by William John Beamont in 1858. It became a university in 1992, and was renamed after John Ruskin in ...

, alongside Wesley House. Wesley staff serve as associate lecturers of the university and deliver courses developed in-house. Wesley House produces an academic journal, ''Holiness'', featuring peer-reviewed items of interest to Methodist scholars. It works in partnership with several other Methodist institutions worldwide, including Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary in South Africa, Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC, Kenya Methodist University, and the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia. The first issue appeared in 2015, with

Janet Morley Janet Morley is a British author, poet, and Christian feminist. Her books ''Celebrating Women'' (1986, co-edited with Hannah Ward) and ''All Desires Known'' (1988) established Morley as a campaigner for inclusive 'non-sexist' language in Christi ...

serving as the founding Commissioning Editor. Andrew Stobart became Commissioning Editor in 2016.

Notable staff

Kenneth Cracknell Kenneth R. Cracknell (19 June 1935 - 26 October 2022) was a British specialist in interfaith dialogue and the Christian theology of religions. Cracknell has written many articles and books on interfaith dialogue and other subjects, including ''To ...

Martin Forward Martin Forward is a British, Methodist Christian lecturer and author on religion and Professor of History at Aurora University, Illinois. He has taught Islam at the Universities of Leicester, Bristol and Cambridge, and had spent a period of time i ...

Ernest Gordon Rupp Ernest Gordon Rupp (1910–1986) was a Methodist preacher, historian and Luther scholar. Early life and education Rupp was born on 7 January 1910 in London and attended Owen's School in Islington. He studied history at King's College London, ...

List of principals

*1921–1937: Henry Maldwyn Hughes *1937–1955:

*1955–1967: William Frederick Flemington *1967–1974:

*1980–1984: Brian Edgar Beck *2011 – present:

Notable alumni

John C. A. Barrett John Charles Allanson Barrett (born 1943) is an English Methodist and chairman and elected president of the World Methodist Council, succeeding Nigerian Sunday Mbang at the World Methodist Conference in Seoul on 24 July 2006. Before stepping down i ...

Kenneth Grayston Kenneth Grayston (8 July 1914 – 10 June 2005) was a British theologian. He is the author of ''Dying, We Live. A New Inquiry into the Death of Christ in the New Testament'' (1990).Leslie Griffiths Leslie John Griffiths, Baron Griffiths of Burry Port (born 15 February 1942) is a British Methodist minister, politician and life peer who served as President of the Methodist Conference from 1994 to 1995. A member of the Labour Party, he w ...

David Pawson John David Pawson (25 February 1930 – 21 May 2020) was an evangelical minister, writer and prominent Bible teacher based in the United Kingdom. Biography According to his autobiography, Pawson's immediate ancestors were all farmers, Method ...

Kathleen Richardson, Baroness Richardson of Calow Kathleen Margaret Richardson, Baroness Richardson of Calow, (born 24 February 1938) is a British Methodist Minister (Christianity), Minister. Created a life peer in 1998, she was a Crossbencher, crossbench member of the House of Lords until her ...

Gwilym Tilsley Rev. Gwilym Richard Tilsley (26 May 1911 – 30 August 1997), commonly known by his bardic name of "Tilsli", was a Welsh poet who served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales between 1969 and 1972. He was born at Tŷ Llwyd near Llan ...

* David Wilkinson

References

Bibliographical details are taken from the records of the British Library.

External links

Wesley House website
{{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1921 Methodism History of Methodism 1921 establishments in England Institutions of the Cambridge Theological Federation Bible colleges, seminaries and theological colleges in England