Bretton Hall, West Yorkshire

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Bretton Hall

Bretton Hall is a stately home in West Bretton in the county of West Yorkshire, England, near Wakefield.

History

It was designed and built around 1720 by its owner, Sir William Wentworth, assisted by James Moyser. In 1792 it passed into the Beaumont family, (latterly Barons and Viscounts Allendale), and the Library and Dining Room were remodelled by John Carr in 1793. A new wing by Sir Jeffry Wyattville was added in 1811-14, and monumental stables designed by George Basevi were built between 1842 and 1852.

The Hall is set in 500 acres (2 km²) of lakes and parkland which is also the home of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Bretton Country Park also houses sculptures.


Life As A College

In 1949, the Hall became the site of Bretton Hall College, a teacher training college founded by Alec Clegg specialising in innovative courses in design, music and the visual and performance arts. It later became an affiliated college of the University of Leeds, which validated its degrees. Its graduates include Richard O'Brien, Louisa Leaman, Kay Mellor, Colin Welland, John Godber, Comedian Ray Peacock (Ian Boldsworth), Sir Ken Robinson, David Rappaport, Mark Thomas, Jonathan Kerrigan, Esther Hall, Christopher Barlow, the comedian and actress Emma Fryer, Queer as Folk actress Carla Henry, the pop band The Research, three of the four League of Gentlemen creators/performers, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, Emmerdale's Emily Kirk actress Kate McGregor, This Morning's fashion expert John Scott, Project Catwalk Judge Nick Ede and, most recently, the acclaimed Chotto Ookii Theatre Company.


End

The College found itself in financial difficulties, and, with the support of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), it merged with the University of Leeds in August 2001. The majority of the music, fine art and teacher training courses were moved to the main Leeds campus, but visual and performing arts education and creative writing remained at the Bretton Hall site, which became home to the University's School of Performance and Cultural Industries.

In December 2004, the University's governing body (Council), despite having spent much by way of time, money and staffing resources on implementing the merger, decided that the Bretton Hall site was not financially viable, and that the School should move to the main University campus in the summer of 2007 (allowing all existing Bretton-based students to complete their studies there). The closure was also documented on the BBC diary by the student Clair Parker.[1]

In June 2006 it was announced that Bretton Hall was to be sold to Wakefield Council.

On May 3, 2007, John Godber presented Final Curtain, a documentary on Bretton Hall, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

On 5th and 6th May 2007, a reunion was organised for the alumni and students of Bretton Hall between 1947 and 2007. This was a celebration of the school's contribution to the arts industry and also the academic excellence it produced over sixty years.

In November 2007 it was announced that Bretton Hall was to be developed as a luxury hotel and spa. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park would take over the estate grounds and lakes.[2]

Notable Alumni


References

  1. ^ Parker,Clair."Bye-bye Bretton Hall", The BBC Diary, 2005-11-02. Retrieved on 2008-02-25.
  2. ^ Announcement from Wakefield Council about the future use of Bretton Hall, November 2007

External links

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