Heythrop College, University of London, was a constituent college of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

between 1971 and 2018, last located in Kensington Square,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. It comprised the university's specialist faculties of

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

with

social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

s, offering

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

and

postgraduate Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

degree courses and five specialist institutes and centres to promote research. The college had a close affiliation with the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, through the British Province of the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

(Jesuits) whose scholarly tradition went back to a 1614 exiled foundation in Leuven, Belgium, and whose extensive library collections it housed. While maintaining its denominational links and ethos the college welcomed all faiths and perspectives, women as well as men. Through Heythrop's close links with the Jesuits, it also served as the London centre for

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

, a Jesuit university in the United States. Other external groups, including A Call To Action (ACTA, British Catholic Association), also used meeting facilities on the site. Following unsuccessful negotiations with

St Mary's University, Twickenham St Mary's University, Twickenham is a public university in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its stated commitment is to the mission of the Catholic Church in higher education. History Originally foun ...

, another British university, and amid some controversy, in June 2015 the college's governing body decided that the college would cease to be an independent constituent of the University of London, in 2018. It formally terminated operations and left the University of London on 31 January 2019. It was the first significant UK higher education institution to completely close permanently (not including mergers and name changes) since the dissolution of the original University of Northampton in 1265.

Twentieth-century name

The college acquired its name, ''Heythrop'', from its 46 years at Heythrop Hall, a Grade II* listed early 18th-century

country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

in Italian Baroque style, southeast of Heythrop village in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

. The English province of the Society of Jesus bought the dilapidated house and grounds in 1926 as a training centre for their scholastics. During its stay, the house was altered and enlarged, not always in a style sympathetic to the original architectural concept. In 1926 two wings were added to the north front built of Hornton ironstone from north Oxfordshire, much darker and browner than the stone used to build the original house in the 18th century. In 1952, the indoor

real tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...

court was converted into a chapel and in 1965, a library was added. In 1960, two halls of residence were added in the grounds in contemporary style. In 1970 the Jesuit province moved its facilities to London after it had negotiated for the centre's faculties of theology and philosophy to become part of London University. It sold its Oxfordshire estate to the

National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank, trading as NatWest, is a major retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom based in London, England. It was established in 1968 by the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 2000, it becam ...

Group which turned the house and its precincts into a training and conference centre.

History

Beginnings in exile

Due to continuing anti-Catholic persecution during the reign of James I, a network of English religious schools was established in Western Europe. Likewise the Society of Jesus preferred to establish its school for boys and its faculties of theology and philosophy for training English Jesuit candidates abroad. Under

John Gerard John Gerard (also John Gerarde, 1545–1612) was an English herbalist with a large garden in Holborn, now part of London. His 1,484-page illustrated ''Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes'', first published in 1597, became a popular garde ...

it founded them in

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

in 1614, before moving them to a newly constructed college in

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

in 1616, which became the . William Baldwin (1563–1632) was a professor of moral theology at the college in

Louvain Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the sub-municipalities of ...

. He, like Gerard, was implicated in the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was an unsuccessful attempted regicide against James VI and I, King James VI of Scotland and I of England by a group of English ...

. In 1624 the English Jesuit college obtained patronage from

Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria Maximilian I (17 April 157327 September 1651), occasionally called the Great, a member of the House of Wittelsbach, ruled as Duke of Bavaria from 1597. His reign was marked by the Thirty Years' War during which he obtained the title of a prince- ...

, and his wife, hence the colours of the elector's coat of arms were incorporated into its own coat of arms. The Liège college was protected in the

Austrian Netherlands The Austrian Netherlands was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy of the former Spanish Netherlands under the Treaty of Ras ...

and continued relatively undisturbed for 178 years, through the

suppression of the Society of Jesus The suppression of the Society of Jesus was the removal of all members of the Jesuits from most of Western Europe and their respective colonies beginning in 1759 along with the abolition of the order by the Holy See in 1773; the papacy acceded ...

in 1773 under the personal authority of Bishop François-Charles de Velbrück, until French troops surrounded the city in 1794.. Notable teachers and alumni included: * John Carroll (1735–1815), first Roman Catholic bishop (and Archbishop of Baltimore) in the United States and founder of

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

* Charles Carroll (1737–1832), Maryland delegate and one of the signatories of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

* Charles Plowden (1743–1821), Jesuit priest, writer and administrator; first rector at Stonyhurst * Francis Plowden, Jesuit priest, barrister and writer. Taught at the college during the

* John Howard SJ was head of Liège College (1773–1783) * William Strickland SJ was head of Liège College (1783–1790) * Marmaduke Stone SJ (1748–1834), final director of the college (1790–1794), led the evacuation to England

Repatriation to England and Wales

During the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

, the continuity of the college is owed principally to two men: Marmaduke Stone SJ, who led the Liège college move to England in 1794 and an Old Boy of Watten and Bruges English College, Thomas Weld (of Lulworth), who generously donated his family seat, of Stonyhurst, a property in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, where the evacuees settled for the foreseeable future. While the environment in England was relatively benign for Catholics, the Catholic Church had suppressed the Jesuit order during the English province's exile in Europe. They resolved therefore to accept the authority of the only remaining valid Jesuit province which was in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

under superiors, Gabriel Gruber and Tadeusz Brzozowski. The latter became Superior General of the Society of Jesus in 1814, although still confined to Russia, when Pope

Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

lifted the ban on the order. The former Liège college staff located its faculties on two sites, philosophy at Stonyhurst College in

and theology at St Beuno's College in

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthi ...

. In 1840, Stonyhurst was recognised as an affiliated college of the University of London, which had been created in 1836. This allowed students to sit examinations for University of London degrees. Among the notable teaching staff were: * Henry James Coleridge (1822–1893), professor of Scripture, religious preacher and writer * Alfred Weld (1823–1890), professor of Science and Astronomy, Director of the Stonyhurst Observatory, grandson of the College founder * Sylvester Joseph Hunter (1829–1896), Jesuit priest and educator * John Morris (1826–1893) taught canon law in 1867 *

George Tyrrell George Tyrrell (6 February 1861 – 15 July 1909) was an Anglo-Irish Catholic priest and a highly controversial theologian and scholar. A convert from Anglicanism, Tyrrell joined the Jesuit order in 1880. His attempts to adapt Catholic the ...

(1861–1909), an Irish Jesuit, taught philosophy at Stonyhurst (until his expulsion from the Jesuits) and was condemned for

Modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

* Franz Xavier Wernz (1842–1914), professor of canon law in 1882 at St Beuno's. He served as the 25th Superior General of the Society of Jesus and was rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome Among its alumni were: * James Brodrick (1891–1973), Jesuit priest and historian * Richard Clarke (1839–1900), Jesuit priest and theologian. First Master of Campion Hall, Oxford * Aloysius Cortie (1859–1925), Jesuit priest and astronomer *

Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Society of Jesus, Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame places him among the leading English poets. His Prosody (linguistics), prosody – notably his concept of sprung ...

(1844–1899), Jesuit priest, poet and professor * Joseph Rickaby (1845–1932), Jesuit priest and philosopher * Martin D'Arcy SJ (1888–1976) was a philosopher of love, and a correspondent, friend, and adviser of a range of literary and artistic figures including

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

, Dorothy L. Sayers, W. H. Auden, Eric Gill and Sir

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...

. He has been described as "perhaps England's foremost Catholic public intellectual from the 1930s until his death".

Heythrop years

In 1926, the faculties came together at Heythrop Hall, Oxfordshire. As a ''Collegium Maximum'', the college's right to admit its students to degrees was confirmed by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

in 1932.Agenzia della Santa Sede per la Valutazione e la Promozione della Qualità delle Università e Facoltà Ecclesiastiche (AVEPRO), http://www.avepro.va/ Accessed 1 November 2012. (in Italian and English) In 1964, the college was raised to the status of a ''Pontifical Athenaeum'', named as the ''Heythrop Faculties of Theology and Philosophy'', open to lay men and women and clerics from outside the Society of Jesus. However, the college now also sought integration with the British educational system.

Rectors and principals, 1926–1970

*1926–1937: Edward Helsham SJ *1937–1944: Ignatius Scoles SJ *1944–1950: Edward Enright SJ *1950–1952: Desmond Boyle SJ *1952–1959: John Diamond SJ *1959–1964: David Hoy SJ *1964–1970: William Maher SJ

Alumni, 1926–1970

* John A. Saliba, Jesuit priest and professor of religious studies * Salvino Azzopardi (1931–2006), Jesuit priest and philosopher * Frederick Copleston (1907–1994), Jesuit priest, philosopher and historian * Ralph Coverdale (1918–1975), soldier, behavioural psychologist, management consultant and trainer * Mark Elvins (1939–2014),

Warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically ident ...

of Greyfriars, Oxford * Clarence Gallagher, Jesuit priest and theologian. Former Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law and Rector of the Pontifical Oriental Institute (1990–1995). * Gerard W. Hughes (1924–2014), Jesuit priest, spiritual guide and author of ''God of Surprises'' * Paul Lakeland (1946– ), Professor and Chair of the centre for Catholic studies of Fairfield University * Peter Levi (1931–2000), former Jesuit priest, poet, archaeologist, travel writer, biographer, critic and Professor of Poetry at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

* Bernard Lonergan (1904–1984), Jesuit priest, philosopher and theologian * Peter Milward (1925–2017), Jesuit priest and literary scholar * Joseph A. Munitiz (1931-2022), Jesuit priest, theologian and librarian. Former editor of the Heythrop Journal and master of Campion Hall, Oxford * Gerald O'Collins (1931-2024), Jesuit priest, author, academic, and educator * Stephen Perry (1833–1889), Jesuit priest and

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

* James J. Quinn (1919–2010), Jesuit priest, theologian and

hymnwriter A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who is traditional ...

* Frederick Turner (1911–2001), Jesuit priest,

archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can cons ...

, librarian and former headmaster at Stonyhurst College * Edward Yarnold (1926–2002), former Master of Campion Hall, Oxford from 1965 to 1972 * Romain Paquette (1927–2024), former Jesuit priest, professor of geography at

Université de Sherbrooke The Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS; Quebec English, English: ''University of Sherbrooke'') is a French-language Public university, public research university in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, with a second campus in Longueuil, a suburb on the Mont ...

Constituent of the University of London

For this purpose it moved to London in 1970, and obtained a royal charter of incorporation as a "school" of the University of London in the faculties of theology and arts on 11 March 1971. It began to award University of London degrees. After its move to London, to a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

Georgian townhouse, a former convent, at nos. 11–13

Cavendish Square Cavendish Square is a public square, public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square ...

in the

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

area, the college retained the name "Heythrop College". In 1993 the college moved to its final location, in the Maria Assumpta Centre at 23 Kensington Square, initially sharing the site with several other organisations, most notably the ''Westminster Pastoral Foundation'' (WPF), a reputable and long-established counselling training institute. In 2000 Heythrop College announced it needed more space for its library and delicate negotiations began with WPF. The college had assembled one of the largest philosophy and theology-related libraries in Britain. Eight years later, WPF were finally persuaded to uproot and vacate their extensive purpose-built premises, about a quarter of the Maria Assumpta site. In January 2014, the college received decrees from the

Congregation for Catholic Education The Congregation for Catholic Education (Institutes of Study) () was the pontifical congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for: universities, faculties, institutes and higher schools of study, either ecclesial or non-ecclesiastical depende ...

of the Holy See officially reactivating its ecclesiastical faculties under the patronage of saint

Robert Bellarmine Robert Bellarmine (; ; 4 October 1542 – 17 September 1621) was an Italian Jesuit and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was canonized a saint in 1930 and named Doctor of the Church, one of only 37. He was one of the most important figure ...

. These ecclesiastical faculties were grouped together as the Bellarmine Institute. In June 2014, Heythrop College celebrated the 400th anniversary of its two original faculties. While the college still retained the English Jesuits' original function of training future priests of the

, its contemporary teaching staff and student body had become much wider, more international and diverse. The college ran into financial difficulties in the 2010s due to the changes in higher education in the United Kingdom. Undergraduate student recruitment declined after the cap on tuition fees was raised to £9,000 per annum in 2012, resulting in the Society of Jesus subsidising the college with millions of pounds: Claire Ozanne, the college's final principal, also highlighted the impact of the administrative burden of quality assurance assessments such as the

Teaching Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related ...

and

Research Excellence Framework The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a research impact evaluation of British Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It is the successor to the Research Assessment Exercise and it was first used in 2014 to assess the period 2008–2013. REF is ...

s on small institutions like Heythrop. Despite explorations with other academies, strategic partnership talks with

, and an offer from the University of Roehampton for Heythrop to affiliate as one of its constituent colleges, no solution was found and in 2015 the decision was made to wind down and close by 2019.

Maria Assumpta campus

The site was previously entirely owned by the Religious of the Assumption, a religious order of sisters founded in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

by Saint Marie-Eugénie de Jésus. The Sisters originally ran a convent school and later a teacher training college on the mainly residential Victorian site, known for decades as ''The Maria Assumpta Centre''. A number of the sisters continue to live on the site, and their Marie Eugénie Chapel was available for student use. A chaplaincy was provided for all College students, in addition to the University of London chaplaincy, along with an Islamic Prayer room. Unlike many University of London colleges, Heythrop College managed in 2008, on the termination of their lease and the vacation of its premises by WPF, to take over the majority of facilities on the Maria Assumpta Kensington site. All lecture rooms, the students' union, the dining hall, previously shared with WPF and other tenant organisations, in the Victorian buildings in Kensington Square, came under its exclusive management. The College also took over the Alban Hall of residence, previously operated by the Sisters for women students only, which became briefly the College's sole residential accommodation for a proportion of its selected student body.

Library

The college library comprising some 180,000 volumes, made it one of the largest theology and philosophy libraries in the United Kingdom. Some of its collections date back to the founding of the faculties in 1614. Between 2008 and 2018, the collections were housed in two buildings: the theology, social sciences and literature collections were held in the "Copleston Wing" of the college, formerly the main part of the WPF Training Centre, while philosophy collections were held in the Maria Assumpta Library in the main building. Heythrop also held many of its more precious volumes outside London, in the college repository in

Egham Egham ( ) is a town in the Borough of Runnymede in Surrey, England, approximately west of central London. First settled in the Bronze Age, the town was under the control of Chertsey Abbey for much of the Middle Ages. In 1215, Magna Carta was ...

, Surrey. It had a large and important collection of pre-1801 books, such as Edward Baddeley's collections and a first edition of

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton () was an English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. Newton was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment that followed ...

's ''

Opticks ''Opticks: or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light'' is a collection of three books by Isaac Newton that was published in English language, English in 1704 (a scholarly Latin translation appeared in 1706). ...

''. Heythrop students were also able to access the Senate House Library, and the libraries of other colleges of the university due to the college's special status. Since the College's closure the library's collections have been available through the Senate House Library. As the former college library is still owned by the Jesuits in Britain, they have also made most of the collection available through the Heythrop Library reading room at the London Jesuit Centre. The earliest printed books have been deposited at Campion Hall, Oxford.

Academic profile

Heythrop prepared students for a range of specialist taught and research degrees. The college had five specialist institutes and centres which promoted research, conferences and a variety of educational outreach activities. These were the: * Centre for Christianity and Inter-religious Dialogue * Centre for Eastern Christianity * Centre for Philosophy of Religion * Religious Life Institute * Heythrop Institute for Religion and Society All of the institutes conducted research in their own field. The college offered full-time, and part-time courses through a combination of lectures,

seminar A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some part ...

s and

tutorial In education, a tutorial is a method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a learning process. More interactive and specific than a book or a lecture, a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to complete ...

s, including one-to-one tutorials. The college had a growing research profile in its final years. It participated in the most recent

(2014) and gained considerable recognition for its research. The combined results for all elements of the REF placed Heythrop at 16th in the overall ranking for the Theology & Religious Studies unit of assessment. Overall, 22% of its research outputs was deemed world-leading and a further 40% was deemed internationally excellent. The research works recognised in its submission reflected efforts in both its Theology and Philosophy departments.

Department of Philosophy

The department offered a variety of specialist philosophy degrees with students attached to one of the Centres at the College, embracing both the continental and analytic traditions, and the

history of philosophy The history of philosophy is the systematic study of the development of philosophical thought. It focuses on philosophy as rational inquiry based on argumentation, but some theorists also include myth, religious traditions, and proverbial lor ...

Department of Theology

In addition to theology, religious studies and ethics, Heythrop said it was the first college in the world to offer undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses focused on the

Abrahamic Religions The term Abrahamic religions is used to group together monotheistic religions revering the Biblical figure Abraham, namely Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The religions share doctrinal, historical, and geographic overlap that contrasts them wit ...

led by members of each of the three Abrahamic faiths. The Theology department also offered a

Divinity Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a single ...

programme to candidates for the Catholic priesthood, making it a centre of Roman Catholic training and learning in the United Kingdom.

Pastoral and social studies

The college had a distinctive history and range of teaching in pastoral theology and allied disciplines, with a profile in the United Kingdom and internationally. The Pastoral and Social Studies Department offered degree programmes in the following fields:

pastoral theology Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology. Normally viewed as ...

and

practical theology Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology enacted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more full ...

, including: *

Sociology of religion Sociology of religion is the study of the beliefs, practices and organizational forms of religion using the tools and methods of the discipline of sociology. This objective investigation may include the use both of Quantitative research, quantit ...

* Christian spirituality *

Ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

Liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

Canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, including a specialism in the psychology of religion.

Bellarmine Institute

The Bellarmine Institute, named after St

, was the new name given to the Heythrop ecclesiastical Faculties of Theology and Philosophy in 2013. After moving to London and becoming established as a constituent college of the University of London, the Faculties had become dormant. They were reactivated on 17 September 2013 by a decree of the Congregation for Catholic Education of the Holy See, expanding the opportunities and teaching the college could offer to seminarians, priestly candidates and others. Before the closure of the college, it had been announced that the Society of Jesus, the college governors and the Archbishop of Westminster would look for ways for the ecclesiastical faculties to continue. The institute offered degree programmes in theology and philosophy, intended for Catholic ordinands, those already engaged in church ministry and other scholars. The ecclesiastical degree programmes offered covered all three cycles for priestly formation in the Catholic Church. * Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (STB) * Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) * Doctor of Sacred Theology (STD) * Baccalaureate in Philosophy (BacPhil) * Licentiate in Philosophy (PhL) * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) In July 2019 both faculties were transferred to St Mary's University Twickenham and renamed Mater Ecclesiae College.

Public lectures

The college hosted a number of free public lectures, research seminars and study days throughout the year on a variety of philosophical and theological topics. Concurrently, Heythrop ran a number of paid events that were open to the general public. Heythrop College ran the Loschert Lecture, a lecture series delivered by eminent philosophers, theologians and people of faith. The series was intended to reflect from a consciously Christian perspective, on significant social, political and ethical issues in society. The series was named after William Loschert, chairman of the trustees of the London Centre of Fordham University, who donated the funding for the lectures. Lecturers included Charles Margrave Taylor, Baroness Scotland, Peter Sutherland and David Brennan.

''The Heythrop Journal''

Heythrop College sponsored '' The Heythrop Journal'', an international philosophy and theology academic journal. Published on a bimonthly basis, ''The Heythrop Journal'' was founded in 1960 by Bruno Brinkman as a format for research on the relational dialogue between philosophy and theology. Still retaining this original function, the current editor is Patrick Madigan, who was a faculty member of Heythrop College. , the journal continues to be published.

Student activities

Apart from its students' union, Heythrop's students established their in-house newspaper, ''The Lion'', in 2010. It won the NUS "Best Student Media" award in 2011. In 2015, ''The Lion'' ceased publication.

Closure

In September 2013, Heythrop College announced that it would stop recruiting undergraduates for University of London degrees, noting its then discussions about a "strategic partnership" with

. The initiative was attributed to financial difficulties the College faced as an autonomous college of the University of London. Accordingly, the number of student dropped from 700 in the academic year 2015/15 and 560 in 2015/16 to 425 in 2016/17 and 200 in 2017/18. In June 2017 it was confirmed that the college would close in October 2018, with no plans to transfer any departments or continue elsewhere. Heythrop ultimately closed at the end of the 2017/18 academic year, with the final graduations taking place at Senate House on 12 December 2018. From 1 August 2017, the University of London took over the academic sanction previously granted by Heythrop College for the Bachelor of Divinity and related

Diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...

and

Certificate of Higher Education A Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom. Overview The Certificate is awarded after one year of full-time study (or equivalent) at a university or other higher education institution, or ...

programmes offered through the

University of London (Worldwide) The University of London Worldwide (previously called the University of London International Academy) is the central academic body that manages external study programmes within the collegiate university, federal University of London. All courses ...

. The site (on prime Kensington real estate) was sold, with some of the proceeds reverting to the Religious of the Assumption. While Westbourne Capital Partners applied to redevelop the site as a luxury retirement complex, this was later refused by the

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current ...

Notable people

College faculty, 1971–2019

* Elizabeth Burns, lecturer in philosophy of religion * Brendan Callaghan SJ principal 1985–1997, 1998–1999 * Alan Carter, head of the philosophy department * Dan Cohn-Sherbok, visiting research fellow * Frederick Copleston (1907-1994) SJ principal 1970–1974 * John Cottingham, professorial research fellow * Johannes Hoff, professor of systematic theology * Michael Holman SJ principal 2010–2017 * Kevin T. Kelly, lecturer in moral theology * Stephen Law, reader in philosophy * William Maher SJ principal 1975–1976 * John Mahoney (1931-2024) SJ principal 1976–1981 * John McDade SJ principal 1999–2010 * Christopher Moss SJ principal 1997–1998 * Robert Murray SJ (1926-2018), scholar of Syriac * Claire Ozanne principal 2017–2019 * Martyn Percy, professorial research fellow * Philip Sheldrake, religious historian and theologian. Moulsdale Professorial fellow,

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was the first recognised university to ...

* Janet Soskice, philosophy of religion and ethics * George Stack, governor of the college * Peter Vardy, vice-principal and senior lecturer in philosophy * Francis Walker SJ, principal 1981–1985 * Keith Ward, professorial research fellow. Former Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford * Rev Dr Marie Isaacs, tutor and eventual Head of Biblical Studies 1973-2001

Notable alumni

have included: Augin-aydin

* Polycarpus Augin Aydin (born 1971), Metropolitan and Patriarchal Vicar for the Archdiocese of the Netherlands of the

Syriac Orthodox Church The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...

Official portrait of The Lord Bishop of London crop 3

* William Bentinck, Viscount Woodstock (born 1984), writer, social entrepreneur and heir to the Earldom of Portland * Joseph Buttigieg (1947–2019), scholar, teacher * Brendan Callaghan (born 1948), Jesuit priest and

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...

* Bernt Ivar Eidsvig (born 1953), Roman Catholic Bishop of Oslo * Michael Charles Evans (1951–2011), Roman Catholic Bishop of East Anglia * Charles Jason Gordon, Roman Catholic priest, appointed Archbishop of Port of Spain in 2017 * Sebastian Gorka (born 1970), former adviser to

Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has been the 56th prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also led the Fidesz political party since 200 ...

and Deputy Assistant to President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

* Robert Hannigan (born 1965), Director of GCHQ (2014–2017) * Matt Malone, S.J,. Jesuit priest and current editor-in-chief of '' America Magazine'' * John Anthony McGuckin (born 1952), Orthodox Christian priest, academic and poet * David William Parry (born 1958), pastor, poet and dramaturge * Malcolm Patrick McMahon (born 1949), Roman Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool formerly Bishop of Nottingham * Michael Anthony Moxon (1942–2019), Anglican Dean of Truro Cathedral * Dame Sarah Mullally, Anglican

Bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...

(since 2018) * Martin Newland (born 1961), journalist and editor of '' The National'' * Catherine Pepinster (1959– ), editor and writer on religion * Keith Riglin (1957-2023), Anglican Bishop of Argyll and The Isles * Lindsay Urwin (born 1956), Anglican

Bishop of Horsham The Bishop of Horsham is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop (area bishop from 1984 to 2013) of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the market town of Horsh ...

* Dominic Walker (born 1948), former Anglican Bishop of Reading and Bishop of Monmouth * Alan Williams, Roman Catholic Bishop of Brentwood

References

External links

*
Heythrop: A Detailed HistoryHeythrop Students Union
{{Authority control Defunct universities and colleges in London Heythrop Former colleges of the University of London Educational institutions established in the 1610s Education in Leuven Education in Liège Stonyhurst College Educational institutions established in the 17th century Universities and colleges established in 1971 1971 establishments in England Religion in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Catholic seminaries in England Education in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea History of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Grade II listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Pontifical universities Charities based in London Jesuit universities and colleges in England Catholic Church in London Catholic seminaries Catholic universities and colleges Educational institutions disestablished in 2019 2019 disestablishments in England