Plymouth Marjon University, commonly referred to as Marjon, is the

trading name A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...

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 status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, 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 since 2023 is Professor Claire Taylor.

History

The university's history dates back to the foundation of its predecessor colleges in London, St John's College and St Mark's College. 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 Blore 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 in Chelsea was founded by the National Society (now

National Society for Promoting Religious Education The National Society (Church of England and Church in Wales) for the Promotion of Education, often just referred to as the National Society, and since 2016 also as The Church of England Education Office (CEEO), is significant in the history of ed ...

) in 1841. Its first principal, 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, Cumbria, Keswick, Cumberland, 14 September 1800 ...

, son of the poet

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( ; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth ...

, emphasised the study of Latin and worship in the college chapel. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, St Mark's College was requisitioned by the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

to create the 2nd London General Hospital, a facility for the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

to treat military casualties. Battersea Training College was established in Old Battersea House in 1840 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, gaini ...

, as a private teacher training institution. Kay-Shuttleworth transferred the college to the National Society in 1843. The college was renamed as St John's College, Battersea in around 1879. These colleges merged in 1923, establishing a single institution in Chelsea as the College of St Mark & St John. In 1973, the move to Plymouth came due to the college outgrowing the Chelsea campus. In 1991 the college became affiliated to the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

, 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, renal transplant surgery, and immunolog ...

. Residential accommodation is provided, and all first-year students are 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. File:West_Entrance_1920x1080pix.jpg, The main entrance to the campus in Derriford, Plymouth in April 2021 File:Plymouth Marjon University's Chapel.jpg, alt=The chapel at Plymouth Marjon University as seen through trees., The chapel at Plymouth Marjon University as seen through trees.

Academic profile

Notable alumni

* Sharon Berry, founder of the Storybook Dads charity *

Bob Brunning Robert Brunning (29 June 1943 – 18 October 2011) was a British musician and writer who was the original bass guitar player with the blues rock band Fleetwood Mac. Career Fleetwood Mac When Peter Green left the Bluesbreakers in 1967, he dec ...

, bass guitarist, founder member of

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

Joy Carroll Joy Carroll Wallis is an English Anglican priest who was a vicar in London for 10 years. She was one of the first women ordained as priest in the Church of England in 1994. In 1997, Carroll married American theologian and writer Jim Wallis. They ...

, inspiration for ''

The Vicar of Dibley ''The Vicar of Dibley'' is a British sitcom. It consists of three series, which aired on BBC One from 10 November 1994 to 1 January 2000, and several specials, the most recent of which aired on 23 December 2020. It is set in the fictional Oxfor ...

'' * Sir

Lewis Casson Sir Lewis Thomas Casson (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 Biography'' ...

, established the Actors' Association which became the British

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American trade union, labor union representing those who work in Theatre, live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions w ...

. * Tim Dakin, former Bishop of Winchester * Helen Glover, London 2012 Olympic gold medal-winning rower and 2013 World Championship Gold Medal winner *

Harry Greenway Harry Greenway (4 October 1934 – 18 January 2024) was an English teacher who became a Conservative politician as the Member of Parliament for the Ealing North constituency from 1979 to 1997. He was especially passionate about horse-riding, ...

, former

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

MP for

Ealing North Ealing North is a constituency, created in 1950. Since the 2019 general election, it has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by James Murray of Labour Co-op. Constituency profile Straddling the Western Avenue and dir ...

* Billy Hopkins, author of "Our Kid", and the sequel "High Hopes" chronicling his time as a trainee teacher in London *

Philip Kingsford Philip Cave Kingsford (10 August 1891 – 26 July 1919) was a British track and field athlete who competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Career Kingsford finished second behind Percy Kirwan in the long jump event at the 1912 AAA Championship ...

, in 1912 held the best-ever triple jump record by an English-born athlete * Gavin Love, basketball coach and former professional basketball player; all-time appearance leader for

Plymouth Raiders Plymouth Raiders are a basketball team based in Plymouth, England, currently competing in Division 3 of the National Basketball League (England), National Basketball League. Founded in 1983 through a merger between two local basketball clubs, ...

* Ernest Millington, Labour MP for Chelmsford 1945–50, and was the last surviving member of the House of Commons elected during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(he died in 2009). *

Ron Pickering Ronald James Pickering (4 May 1930 – 13 February 1991) was an athletics coach and BBC sports commentator. Early life and education Pickering was born in Hackney. His father was a sign fixer. He became head boy at West Ham Secondary School ( ...

, athletics coach and BBC sports commentator *

Paul Potts Paul Potts (born 13 October 1970) is a British tenor. In 2007, he won the first series of ITV's ''Britain's Got Talent'' with his performance of " Nessun dorma", an aria from Puccini's opera ''Turandot''. As a singer of operatic pop music, P ...

, English tenor. Winner of ITV's ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global '' Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...

'' 2007 *

Henry Rawlingson Carr Henry Carr (15 August 1863 – 1945) was a Nigerian educator and administrator. He was one of the most prominent West Africans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and was a member of the legislative council in Lagos from 1918&n ...

, Nigerian educationalist and administrator. *

Andrew Salkey Andrew Salkey (30 January 1928 – 28 April 1995) was a Jamaican novelist, poet, children's books writer and journalist of Jamaican and Panamanian origin. He was born in Panama but was raised in Jamaica, moving to Britain in the 1952 to pursu ...

, author, activist, poet, film and documentary maker * Sir Frederick Wall, secretary of the Football Association, responsible for the purchase of the first

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

* Ian Whybrow, 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 Universities and colleges established in 1923 1923 establishments in England Plymouth Marjon Plymouth Marjon

History

Campus

Academic profile

Notable alumni

See also

References