- 01352 841000
- Online message
History of Northop College
Horticulture education in Flintshire
Horticultural education within the County of Flintshire was established in the 1920’s by the University of North Wales at Padeswood Hall near Mold. The County Council eventually took over the centre which had 50 acres of land and offered full-time courses of up to one year’s duration in Horticulture (mainly Market Gardening) and Poultry. The centre was known as Padeswood Hall Horticultural centre.
At the outbreak of war in 1939 courses were curtailed and the staff concentrated on food production. The County Council then sold Padeswood Hall to the Tunnel Cement Company for the creation of a cement works.
The County Council then purchased the present site at Northop which was known as Celyn Farm and occupied 246 acres. The house and building ,together with 60 acres of land, were sold to Lever Brothers, and the 186 acres of land on the north of the A55 road retained. Of these 186 acres some 40 acres were leased to Lever Bros, leaving 146 acres for the development of a new college. The County Council also owned 40 acres of woodland which was separated from the college land by the 40 acres of leased land and which was leased to a forestry company as a commercial softwood plantation.
The original intention was to build a County Institute of Agriculture, but the Ministry of Agriculture, who had responsibility for agricultural education at the time, would not allow this development as there was already an Institute of Agriculture at Ruthin.
However, the then Director of Education was determined to have a College on the site so he persuaded the authority to build the Flintshire Horticultural Institute, which was completed on 1945. The first Principal was Mr. A.G.C Powell and the first course of approximately 12 students on an N.C.H course commenced in September 1955. Initially there was one other member of the teaching staff, a Mr. Stanley Holding, who had been the Horticultural Superintendent at Padeswood Hall. Mr C.J Mitchelmore was appointed Senior Lecturer in Horticulture in January 1956 and Mr. G.A Limb as Farm Manager and Warden in September 1965.
A one year junior course in Agriculture was started in 1956 and the total student numbers increased to 16. There were no part-time students and the majority of full time students were residents.
Principal Mitchelmore
In 1958, the first Principal left and Mr. Mitchelmore was appointed Principal and H,S Bell as Senior Lecturer. In the early years much of the infrastructure of roads, fences, paths and water supplies, was installed by students as part of their practical teaching experiences. The majority of the land was dedicated to agricultural production work.
Under the direction of Mr. Mitchelmore, both the curriculum and the campus were expanded over a number of years. Part-time courses in Horticulture and Agriculture were established and the College also organised proficiency test instruction and testing in both farm and farmhouse crafts. Field vegetable cropping was introduced into the farm rotational system. Engineering workshops and vegetable packing facilities were developed by converting the existing stock yards. Previously, students had been taken to Kelsterton College (now Deeside College) for Estate Maintenance and Building Skills, and part of the Engineering syllabus.
With the development of the engineering facility, a full time course leading to the City and Guilds Agricultural Mechanics certificate was established.
The Welsh College of Horticulture
In 1972, the college was renamed the Welsh College of Horticulture and Princess Anne came to the official announcement at the Presentation of Awards on the 11th July.
In 1974 the Counties of Flintshire and Denbighshire were merged to create the new County of Clwyd and all Agricultural courses apart from Agricultural Engineering were taken over by Llysfasi College in Ruthin.
The college pioneered Floristry education, starting with a one term full course which was gradually developed into a one year full time course. The two year college diploma course was then added and eventually a three year N.D course was approved. At this time the commercial floristry shop was established as an essential resource to support the N.D in floristry and this was eventually expanded into the present Plant Centre when a N.D in Garden Centre Studies was established.
Throughout the period from the early 1960s to the early 1980s there was rapid expansion. The college took over the 40 acres of land originally leased to Lever Bros and the 40 acres of commercial woodland. The ornamental grounds were expanded into the 40 acres of land and soccer, cricket and hockey pitches developed. A new hostel for 46 students with staff and social areas was built, the main common room eventually becoming the college bar.
The sports hall, new lecture rooms and an acre of computer controlled glass were constructed together with a new packhouse, potting shed and store. The implement shed was converted into a Building Skills workshop and the original potting and packaging shed into an environment laboratory and two practical demonstration rooms.
Emphasis was on full-time residential courses with a national recruitment but this changed dramatically when the new funding regime required an emphasis on more local recruitment and a significant expansion of part-time and adult continuing education programmes. It has also meant a broadening of the curriculum base with the development of an N.D course in Environmental Land Management in conjunction with Llysfasi College. BTEC 1st Diploma in Horse Studies and a N.D course in Equine Studies. An H.E Access course was developed and this led on to the establishment of a foundation year of a year of a four year degree programme. H.E provision was finally extended in 1995/96 with the introduction of a H.N.D in Landscape Science.
Merger with Deeside College
Following Welsh Assembly Government approval, on 1st August 2009 Deeside College and the Welsh College of Horticulture merged. The new institution, now called the Northop Campus of Deeside COllege, is one of the largest in Wales and the UK, provides courses for almost 20,000 students each year, employs over 800 staff, and has an annual income approaching £30million.
Northop College
Following the merger of Deeside College and Coleg Llysfasi on 1st August 2010, it was decided that the Northop Campus of Deeside College was to be renamed Northop College.
Deeside College
For the history of Deeside College, click here.
Coleg Llysfasi
For the history of Coleg Llysfasi, click here.
