Westminster College, originally the Westminster Training College, was a teacher training college and college of higher education in England. The college was founded in London in 1851 as a training institute for teachers for Wesleyan Methodist schools, but moved to

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

in 1959. Before the move, it was part of the London Institute for Education. From 1959 to 1981, its qualifications were awarded by

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a 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 second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. From 1981 to 1992, its qualifications were awarded by the

CNAA The Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) was the national degree-awarding authority in the United Kingdom from 1965 until its dissolution on 20 April 1993. Background The establishment followed the recommendation of the UK government Com ...

. After 1992, its courses were validated by Oxford University again. In 2000, financial pressures caused the college to close. The

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

subsequently leased the college's site at Harcourt Hill to

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (OBU; formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Th ...

and it became the home of that university's Westminster Institute of Education.

Westminster 1851–1959

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

was convinced of the importance of education and, following the advice of his friend Philip Doddridge, opened schools at The Foundery in London, and at

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

and Kingswood. With the extension of franchise in 1832, both Church and Government recognised the need for education for the masses. The Methodist Conference commissioned William Atherton, Richard Treffry and Samuel Jackson to report on Wesleyan Methodist (as distinct from Primitive Methodist) schools, coming to the conclusion that if the Church were to prosper the system of Sunday schools (3,339 in number at that time, with 59,277 teachers and 341,442 pupils) must be augmented by day-schools with teachers educated to high school level. The Rev. John Scott (1792–1868), was grandfather of John Scott Lidgett, proposed in 1843 that 700 new Methodist day-schools be established within seven years. Though a steady increase was achieved, that ambitious target could not be reached, in part limited by the number of suitably qualified teachers, mostly Sunday-school teachers sent at considerable cost to David Stow's Free Church Normal Seminary in Glasgow. The outcome of the Wesleyan Education Report for 1844 was the foundation in 1851 of Westminster Training College at Horseferry Road,

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, London, with John Scott its first principal.F. C. Pritchard ''The Story of Westminster College 1851–1951'' London: The Epworth Press 1951 It remained the primary source of Wesleyan Methodist teachers worldwide until the Methodist Union of 1932. Its

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

buildings were requisitioned during the First World War, and used as a station for Australian servicemen. The site was severely damaged by an incendiary bomb on 4 March 1944 during the Second World War, and the buildings were never repaired. They were demolished in the 1960s and the headquarters of the television station

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

now stand on the site.

Oxford 1959–2000

In 1959, Westminster College moved into a set of purpose-built facilities on Harcourt Hill,

, with buildings designed by Seely & Paget which were noted for their fusion of Oxford

quads The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...

with a "

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

" style of architecture, evident particularly in the large and distinctive chapel. Following the move, the college's qualifications were validated by 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 ...

through its Institute of Education and, later, its Department of Education. The qualifications included a Certificate in Education, the

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. or BEd) is an undergraduate academic degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. A Bachelor of Education program typically lasts three to four years and combines both coursework and practical exp ...

degree, a postgraduate certificate in education, and some supplementary certificates. Oxford University ended this arrangement in 1981. The college's qualifications were then validated by the

Council for National Academic Awards The Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) was the national degree-awarding authority in the United Kingdom from 1965 until its dissolution on 20 April 1993. Background The establishment followed the recommendation of the UK government Com ...

(CNAA) until 1992, when the CNAA ceased to exist. The college then entered into a new arrangement with Oxford University from 1993. Oxford University validated a number of qualifications at the college from this date, including degrees in education and theology. Westminster College was an "approved society" of the University of Oxford. Those who read for its degrees were entitled to become members of

Oxford University Student Union The Oxford University Students' Union is the official students' union of the University of Oxford. It is better known in Oxford under the branding Oxford SU or by its previous name of OUSU. It exists to represent Oxford University students in ...

and life members of the

Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest unive ...

, and to attend all lectures at the university. Students received notification of their degree results from the university, not the college, and all examination papers and dissertations were marked by the university. Degree certificates were those of the University of Oxford ''in toto'', and included the

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...

of both Westminster College and the University of Oxford. Graduation ceremonies were presided over by the vice-chancellor in the

Sheldonian Theatre The Sheldonian Theatre, in the centre of Oxford, England, was built from 1664 to 1669 after a design by Christopher Wren for the University of Oxford. The building is named after Gilbert Sheldon, List of Wardens of All Souls College, Oxford, Wa ...

according to the usual form, with slight modifications to allow for the fact that students had not matriculated. (To matriculate is to go through the matriculation ceremony which makes one a member of the university, so students at Westminster College did not have this status in Oxford). Thus, they are nonetheless Oxford graduates, though not Oxford BAs. In 2000, financial pressures prompted the Methodist Church to cease operating Westminster College, although its students were permitted to continue studying for their degrees through the University of Oxford. An agreement was reached to

lease A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

the Harcourt Hill site to

and the college buildings became the Westminster Institute of Education, a school of Oxford Brookes University, thus continuing the use of the Westminster name. In addition to housing the Westminster Institute of Education, other subjects such as theology, philosophy, and media and communication are also taught at what is now Oxford Brookes University's Harcourt Hill campus. Courses begun before 2000 continued to be validated by Oxford University, including classes taken by international students, during the transition period until students who had begun at Westminster College, rather than Brookes, had graduated. Westminster Institute was eventually absorbed into Oxford Brookes University.

Staff

;Principals *1851–1868: John Scott *1868–1903: J. H. Rigg *1903–1930: H. B. Workman *1930–1940: A. W. Harrison *1940–1953: J. S. Ross *1953–1969: H. Trevor Hughes *1969–1981: Donald Crompton *1981–1996: Kenneth Wilson *1996–2000: Richard Ralph ;Vice-Principals *1851–1881: William Sugden *1881–1888: Charles Mansford *1888–1904: H. A. Reatchlous *1904–1918: A. D. G. Barriball *1918–1921: Egbert H. Magson *1921–1930: A. W. Harrison *1930–1940: J. S. Ross *1946–1953: H. Trevor Hughes *1953–1961: T.B. Shepherd *1961–1967: J.G. Harrison *1967–1969: Chris Eddy *1969–1981: Donald Tranter *1981-1989: Stephen Phillipson *1989-????: Harry Fearon

Notable alumni

* James Yoxall, Educationalist and Politician * Jonathan Gough, Anglican military chaplain and archdeacon * Christine Hardman, Anglican Bishop * Janet Mackenzie, Anglican archdeacon * Paul Taylor, Anglican archdeacon * John Willman, journalist and political activist

Arms

References

External links

Oxford Brookes University — history

Westminster College London & Oxford Alumni website — memories, photos, etc.
{{Coord, 51, 44, 25, N, 1, 17, 31, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Universities and colleges established in 1851 Higher education colleges in England Buildings and structures in Oxford Education in Oxford Oxford Brookes University 1851 establishments in England Teacher training colleges in the United Kingdom Methodist universities and colleges