Sparsholt College is a Further Education (FE) and

Higher Education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...

(HE) college located at Sparsholt near Winchester, with a secondary campus in

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andove ...

, both in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

in the south of

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 ...

. The college provides courses from

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

to degree level. The college covers primarily countryside-based subjects including

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

, Fishery Studies, Equine Studies,

Forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

and

Woodland Management Forest management is a branch of forestry concerned with overall administrative, legal, economic, and social aspects, as well as scientific and technical aspects, such as silviculture, protection, and forest regulation. This includes management for ...

, Game and Wildlife Management,

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 ...

, Sport and Outdoor Education and Animal Management. There are currently more than 1900 full-time and 3000 part-time students including around 450 at HE level.

Origins and history

The college originated as Hampshire's first Farm School, set up by the

County Council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irel ...

at Lower Mill Farm, Old Basing near Basingstoke in 1899. This replaced some peripatetic agricultural training using horse drawn vans which had been operating since 1891. It moved to its present site at Westley Farm, Sparsholt in 1914. The County Council purchased part of what was then a larger Westley Farm the previous year, Lower Mill Farm being leased and no longer adequate for the expanding curriculum. Higher Education at the college began in 1983 at HND level with Fishery Studies. Current BSc(Hons) degrees include Animal Management and Garden Design. Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, the college became independent of Hampshire County Council in 1993. The college merged with

Cricklade College Andover College, formerly known as Cricklade College, is a Further Education community college in Andover, Hampshire, England. It provides a range of academic and vocational courses to school leavers, adults, employers and the wider local commu ...

in 2007. This is now known as Andover College. In August 2015 it was announced with partner

Ecotricity Ecotricity is a British energy company based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, specialising in selling green energy to consumers that it primarily generates from its 87.2 megawatt wind power portfoliothe company prefers the term windmill ra ...

they will be building an

Anaerobic digester Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the fermen ...

that will take grass-cutting from local farms and supply the resulting gas to the grid with an overall aim of training students in the technology.

Alumni

Some prominent former students of the college include: *

Charlie Dimmock Charlotte Elouise Dimmock (born 10 August 1966) is an English gardening expert and television presenter. She was a member of the team on '' Ground Force'', a BBC gardening makeover programme, airing from 1997 to 2005. Since then, Dimmock has ...

- T.V. presenter and gardener.Yvonne Swann, ''My CV: Charlie Dimmock - The tops bra none'', Daily Mirror, 12 June 2003
/ref> *

Tom Hart Dyke Thomas Guy "Tom" Hart Dyke (born 12 April 1976) is an English horticulturist, author and plant hunter from the Hart Dyke family. He is the son and heir of Guy and Sarah Hart Dyke at the family seat of Lullingstone Castle, Eynsford, Kent. He is t ...

horticulturist 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 ...

, plant hunter and designer of the World Garden of Plants.

Trivia

The long-running

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

program

Gardeners' Question Time ''Gardeners' Question Time'' is a long-running BBC Radio 4 programme in which amateur gardeners can put questions to a panel of experts. History The first programme was broadcast in the North and Northern Ireland Home Service of the BBC at 2 ...

has a base at the college known as the Potting Shed, and a demonstration garden. It runs annual open days at the college.

References

Education in Winchester Further education colleges in Hampshire Agricultural universities and colleges in the United Kingdom {{Hampshire-school-stub