Bretton Hall College of Education was a higher education college in

West Bretton West Bretton is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in City of Wakefield, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It lies close to junction 38 of the M1 motorway at Haigh, Yorkshire, Haigh. It has a population of 546, reducing to ...

in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

, England. It opened as a teacher training college in 1949 with awards from the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

. The college merged with the University of Leeds in 2001 and the campus closed in 2007.

History

In 1949 Bretton Hall College, a teacher training college founded by

Alec Clegg Sir Alexander Bradshaw Clegg (13 June 1909 – 20 January 1986), known as Alec Clegg, was an English educationalist. He was the innovative Chief Education Officer of the West Riding of Yorkshire County Council from 1945 to 1974. Early life and e ...

specialising in innovative courses in design, music and the visual and performance arts, opened in the historic Bretton Hall in West Bretton, Yorkshire. It became an affiliated college of the

, which validated its degrees. The college had financial difficulties, and, with the support of the

Higher Education Funding Council for England The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom, which was responsible for the distribution of funding for higher education to universities and further education colleges in Engl ...

(HEFCE), merged with the University of Leeds in August 2001. Most of the music, fine art and teacher training courses were moved to the

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

campus, but visual and performing arts education and creative writing remained at the Bretton site, which became home to the University's School of Performance and Cultural Industries. In December 2004, the university's governing body reversed an earlier decision and decided that the Bretton Hall site was not financially viable, and the School of Performance and Cultural Industries should move to the main university campus in summer 2007, allowing all existing Bretton-based students to complete their studies there. The closure was documented on the BBC website by student Clair Parker. In June 2006 it was announced that Bretton Hall was to be sold to Wakefield Council. On 3 May 2007, John Godber presented ''Final Curtain'', a documentary on Bretton Hall, broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

. On 5 and 6 May 2007, a reunion was organised for the

alumni Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...

and students of Bretton Hall between 1947 and 2007 as a celebration of the school's contribution to the arts industry and also the academic excellence it produced over sixty years. On the Saturday, Mike Levon staged a concert in the Music Salon. In November 2007 it was announced that Bretton Hall would be developed as a luxury hotel and spa. The

Yorkshire Sculpture Park The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) is an art gallery, with both open-air and indoor exhibition spaces, in West Bretton, Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It shows work by British and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barb ...

(YSP) was founded in the college parkland by Bretton Hall lecturer Peter Murray, CBE. YSP has become a leading international art centre renowned for art and performance in the landscape. When the college closed, Yorkshire Sculpture Park took over the estate grounds and lakes. In May 2013 a series of special visits to the former hostels (halls of residence) was co-organised by Wakefield Council, YSP, the developer Rushbond and Bretton Hall alumni. Photographs were taken of every hostel room. A further event was organised in September 2013 to visit the mansion. Rushbond will ensure that a complete photographic record will be taken of the building before refurbishment.

Notable alumni

Ian Boldsworth Richard Ian Boldsworth (27 June 1973, in Warrington, England), previously known by the stage name Ray Peacock, is an English comic performer, best known for ''The ParaPod'', ''The Peacock and Gamble Podcast'' and ''The Ray Peacock Podcast.'' H ...

Jon Clark (lighting designer) Jon Clark is a British lighting designer. He won a Tony Award in the category Best Lighting Design in a Play for ''The Lehman Trilogy'' on Broadway and an Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are prese ...

Kevin Clarke (writer) Kevin Clarke is an English playwright and screenwriter of film and television. Early life Kevin Clarke spent his early childhood in care. He grew up in Birkenhead, Merseyside and left school at 16 to work as a guitarist. After busking in Paris he ...

* Anne Collins *

Shelley Conn Shelley Deborah Conn (born 21 September 1976) is an English actress. She portrayed Lady Mary Sharma in the second season of ''Bridgerton'', Isabella in the film '' Love Sarah'', Dr Elizabeth Shannon in the Spielberg series '' Terra Nova'', Beelz ...

Natasia Demetriou Natasia Charlotte Demetriou (born 15 January 1984) is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. She is best known for her roles as Nadja in the FX comedy horror series ''What We Do in the Shadows'' (2019–2024) and Sophie in the Channel 4 ...

* Wil Edmunds *

Beatie Edney Beatrice Edney (born 23 October 1962) is an English actress. She is best known for playing Heather MacLeod in '' Highlander'' (1986), and Prudie Paynter in '' Poldark'' (2015–2019). Career Born in London, she is the daughter of actress Sylvia ...

* Michael Fentiman *

Emma Fryer Emma Fryer is a British stand-up comedian, actress and writer from Coventry, best known for playing Tania in BBC Three's '' Ideal'', Janine in E4's ''PhoneShop'' and Gaynor in BBC Two's '' Home Time'', which she co-wrote with Neil Edmond. Car ...

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. Best known for his acting work on stage and screen as well as for co-creating television shows with Steven Moffat, he has received ...

John Godber John Harry Godber (born 18 May 1956) is an English playwright, known mainly for observational comedy, observational comedies. The ''Plays and Players Yearbook'' of 1993 rated him the third most performed playwright in the UK after William Shak ...

Esther Hall Esther Jane Hall (born 28 August 1970) is an English actress who has appeared in a number of television dramas. She is most notable for her performance in ''Black Mirror'' “Hated in the Nation”. Early life Born in Manchester in 1970 and br ...

Carla Henry Carla Henry is a British actress, most famous for her role as Donna Clarke in '' Queer as Folk''. She trained at Bretton Hall College. Her performances in stage productions such as ''Storm'' (Contact Theatre) and ''Habitat'' (Royal Exchange) a ...

Adrian Howells Adrian Howells (9 April 1962 – 16 March 2014) was a British performance artist associated with one-to-one performance and intimate theatre. He performed in the United Kingdom and internationally (including in Israel, Singapore, Canada, Japan, G ...

Roger Hutchinson Roger Hutchinson (born 28 June 1952) is a former Northern Irish unionist politician and church minister who was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim from 1998 to 2003. Career After attending Larne Technical College, ...

Christine Kavanagh Christine Mary Kavanagh (born 24 March 1957) is an English actress. Early life Kavanagh was born in Prescot, Lancashire. She was educated in Brussels, and trained as a drama teacher at Bretton Hall College and as an actor at Bristol Old Vi ...

Jonathan Kerrigan Jonathan Kerrigan (born 14 October 1972) is an English actor well known for various leading roles on TV including '' In the Club'', ''Casualty'', '' Heartbeat'', ''Merseybeat, The Five'' and ''Reach For The Moon''. Films include '' Diana'', ''FL ...

Louisa Leaman Louisa Leaman (born 24 June 1976) is a London-based author. Her debut novel, ''The Perfect Dress'', published by Penguin Random House, is an uplifting contemporary romance about vintage wedding dresses, inspired by her work researching and writi ...

Simon Lightwood Simon Robert Lightwood (born 15 December 1980) is a British Labour and Co-operative Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Wakefield and Rothwell since 2024. From a 2022 by-election until 2024, he represented Wakefield. He h ...

Bhavna Limbachia Bhavna Jayanty Limbachia (born 21 April 1984) is a British actress. She is known for her roles as Alia Khan in the BBC comedy '' Citizen Khan'' (2012–2016) and Rana Habeeb in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (2016–2019). Early li ...

* Tom Lorcan *

Kate McGregor Kate McGregor (born 1972) is an English actress known for her portrayal of the character Emily Kirk in British soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Early life Born in Yorkshire, England, McGregor attended the since defunct Bretton Hall College of Educ ...

Wayne McGregor Sir Wayne McGregor, CBE (born 12 March 1970) is a British choreographer and director who has won multiple awards. He is the Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor and Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet. McGregor was appointed Comma ...

Kay Mellor Kay Mellor (née Daniel; 11 May 1951 – 15 May 2022) was an English actress, scriptwriter, producer and director. She was known for creating television series such as '' Band of Gold'' (ITV, 1995–97), '' Fat Friends'' (ITV, 2000–05), and ...

Richard O'Brien Richard O'Brien (born Richard Timothy Smith; 25 March 1942) is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has since remained in continuous p ...

Ray Peacock Richard Ian Boldsworth (27 June 1973, in Warrington, England), previously known by the stage name Ray Peacock, is an English comic performer, best known for '' The ParaPod'', ''The Peacock and Gamble Podcast'' and ''The Ray Peacock Podcast.'' ...

Steve Pemberton Steven James Pemberton (born 1 September 1967) is a British actor, comedian, director and writer. He was a writer and actor for BBC's ''The League of Gentlemen'' with Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson. Pemberton and Shearsmith also ...

David Rappaport David Stephen Rappaport (23 November 1951 – 2 May 1990) was an English actor with achondroplasia (a genetic disorder where the primary feature is dwarfism). He appeared in the films ''Time Bandits'' and '' The Bride'', and television series ' ...

Sir Ken Robinson Sir Kenneth Robinson (4 March 1950 – 21 August 2020) was a British author, speaker and international advisor on education in the arts to government, non-profits, education and arts bodies. He was director of the Arts in Schools Project ( ...

Stuart Semple Stuart Buchanan Semple (born 12September 1980) is a British artist and activist who works with sculpture and painting.Hayes, David (2013 "Financial Times", October 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.Fairweather, Shona (2007)Aesthetica Magazine "Stuart ...

Reece Shearsmith Reeson Wayne Shearsmith (born 27 August 1969) is a British actor, comedian, writer and magician. He was a member of The League of Gentlemen, with Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson. Jointly with Pemberton, he created, wrote and starr ...

The Research The Research are a band from Wakefield, England. The members are : Russell 'The Disaster' Searle (vocals/guitar/synthesizers), Georgia Lashbrook (bass/vocals/harmonica), and Sarah Williams (drums/vocals). Their songs - typically about themes of l ...

Mark Thomas Mark Clifford Thomas (born 11 April 1963) is an English comedian, best known for the political stunts that he performs on his show, ''The Mark Thomas Comedy Product'' on Channel 4. Thomas first became known as a guest comic on the BBC Radio 1 ...

Chris T-T Christopher Jon Thorpe-Tracey (born 16 September 1974), known professionally as Chris T-T, is a retired English singer-songwriter based in Brighton. In a 20-year career he released 10 studio albums, two live collections and a number of collabor ...

Colin Welland Colin Welland (born Colin Edward Williams; 4 July 1934 – 2 November 2015) was an English actor and screenwriter. He won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as Mr Farthing in '' Kes'' (1969) and the Academy A ...

Gillian Wright Gillian Wright (born 7 December 1959) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Jean Slater on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2004, for which she has won numerous awards. She previously worked as a drama teacher and a th ...

References

External links

University of Leeds press release on the proposed closure of Bretton Hall Campus

BBC news item about the sale to Wakefield Council
- information on the history of the House and grounds * ''Information about location of Bretton Estate archives, with contact details'' * ''Alumni-driven website'' {{coord, 53.6107, -1.5729, type:edu_region:GB, display=title Bretton Hall College Buildings and structures in the City of Wakefield Teacher training colleges in the United Kingdom Defunct universities and colleges in England 1949 establishments in England 2007 disestablishments in England University of Leeds