Shuttleworth College (Bedfordshire)

For other uses, see Shuttleworth College.

Shuttleworth College

File:Shuttleworthcollegelogo.jpg
Type	Further education
Established	1944
Academic affiliation	Bedford College
Principal	Mike Johnston
Location	Old Warden, Bedfordshire England
Website	http://www.shuttleworth.ac.uk/

Shuttleworth College is a further education college in the village of Old Warden in Bedfordshire, England. The college is part of Bedford College, and mainly offers courses and training related to agriculture and the natural environment.

The Mansion House at Shuttleworth College

History

Shuttleworth College was founded in 1944 as part of the Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth Remembrance Trust. Richard Shuttleworth, the owner of the Old Warden Estate in Bedfordshire, England was killed in 1940 while serving with the Royal Air Force. He had a keen interest in farming and estate management and after his death, his mother, Dorothy Clotilda Shuttleworth, established a trust in his memory. The two principal objectives of the Trust were the establishment of the college at Old Warden Park in Bedfordshire and the development of the Shuttleworth Collection – the unique museum of veteran aeroplanes, cars and other vehicles situated next to the park.

The college enrolled its first students in 1946 and soon established its place as a national centre for agricultural education. The existing buildings at Old Warden Park provided teaching and residential facilities in the early years of the college. From 1960 to 1990 the college campus was extended by the provision of specialist teaching facilities including lecture theatres, laboratories and a conference hall, plus machinery, livestock and agronomy teaching centres. Residential accommodation was also added for 150 students to supplement that available in existing rooms at the park.

In 1988 the college joined Cranfield University, at the time Cranfield Institute of Technology. In 1996, all operations of Shuttleworth College were formally merged with Cranfield's National College of Agricultural Engineering at Silsoe, Bedfordshire, and the Old Warden campus was closed. However, the Shuttleworth Trust re-established the college in 1997, in partnership with Writtle College. Since this time Shuttleworth College has generally been a provider of further education. In August 2009, Shuttleworth left Writtle College, and became part of Bedford College.

The college today

Shuttleworth now specialises in agricultural and environmental education. Courses range from work-based training and leisure programmes to full-time courses up to higher education level. Subject areas include:

• Agriculture
• Animal Science
• Countryside
• Fisheries
• Floristry
• Horse Management
• Horticulture
• Outdoor Adventure

There are also short courses and tailor-made corporate training programmes. It also offers corporate hospitality and training facilities, as well as social functions including weddings.

The college is in Old Warden Park, which has the Shuttleworth Collection, and the "Swiss Garden".

The Mansion House

The grade II* listed Mansion House, now an integral part of the college, was built in 1875–76 for Joseph Shuttleworth, of the Lincoln engineering firm of Clayton and Shuttleworth. It was designed by the architect Henry Clutton to rival Gawthorpe Hall, home of the Lancashire Shuttleworths. Built of ashlar in the Jacobean style, it is a 3 storey rectangular block which replaced an existing building.

In August 2010 The Mansion House, managed by Bedford College Services Ltd (BCS Ltd), was launched as a Weddings, Corporate Hire & Private Hire venue.

External links

• Shuttleworth College homepage