Hadlow College
Encyclopedia
Hadlow College, located at Hadlow
in Kent with satellite sites in Canterbury
and London
, is a Further Education
and Higher Education
college. The curriculum primarily covers land-based subjects including agriculture
, conservation and wildlife management, animal management, fisheries management, equine studies, outdoor pursuits, floristry, horticulture
, garden design, landscape management and sustainability.
In June 2010 the college was graded 'Outstanding' by Ofsted
. This result complemented the 'outstanding' grade which the college had received in March 2009 for its care provision. These results have cemented the college's place amongst the elite of UK colleges.
agreed to sell their property to this committee as soon as a new grammar school was built, but it was not until 1929 that Borden Grammar was occupied and its building adapted for Farm Institute purposes. Grove End Farm, Tunstall was purchased in July 1919 to be run as the Institute Farm.
After the 1939-1945 war, the Kent Education Committee bought the Swanley property together with 60 acres (24.3 ha) of land. Until 1949 the Horticulture Institute was used as a training centre in horticulture for ex-Service personnel under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture. In September 1949 the Education Committee took possession and the Horticulture Institute was developed and run on parallel line to the Farm Institute.
In 1958 the two institutes were merged to form the Kent Farm and Horticulture Institute. Although the two departments were 30 miles (48.3 km) apart, this was the first step in bringing the two together. In the spring of 1960, 600 acres (242.8 ha) of land was purchased from Hadlow for the establishment of a combined Institute. The Agricultural Department moved from Sittingbourne to the new site in the summer of 1966, and the Horticultural Department in the summer of 1967. The Insititute was then renamed Hadlow College of Agriculture and Horticulture.
On Friday 22 March 1968, His Royal Highness Prince Phillip the Duke of Edinburgh, officially opened the college.
Additional facilities on the estate include a fully functioning farm with a dairy herd and milking parlour, breeding sheep and arable crops, commercial dog grooming parlour and exotic species, variety of habitats for woodland and countryside management, stock ponds, hatchery, cross country equine courses together with international size arenas, 3.2 acres (12,950 m²) glasshouse complex and a landscape training centre.
Broadview Gardens, the on-site visitor attraction, also plays an important role in College life. These 10 acres (4 ha) of landscaped gardens provide an inspiration to the horticulture and garden design students, as well as being a useful area for them to practise their skills. It is also home to Sandell lake. These gardens are constantly being updated and added to. For example, Hadlow College’s garden – Full Frontal – which won Gold at the 2007 Hampton Court Flower Show has recently been re-created within the grounds. Highlighting the effects which block paving can have on the environment, Full Frontal presents an alternative based around the fact it is possible to have flowers, plants and a parking space in your front garden without the need for concrete.
In October 2009 Princess Christian's Farm
came underneath the umbrella of the college. Run in partnership with Kent County Council
Social Services for the benefit of adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, the overall aim of the partnership is for the individuals to learn new skills and develop opportunities to move into employment.
Hadlow
Hadlow is a village in the Medway valley, near Tonbridge, Kent; it is in the Tonbridge and Malling district. The Saxon name for the settlement was Haeselholte...
in Kent with satellite sites in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, is a Further Education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
and Higher Education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
college. The curriculum primarily covers land-based subjects including agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, conservation and wildlife management, animal management, fisheries management, equine studies, outdoor pursuits, floristry, horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
, garden design, landscape management and sustainability.
In June 2010 the college was graded 'Outstanding' by Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
. This result complemented the 'outstanding' grade which the college had received in March 2009 for its care provision. These results have cemented the college's place amongst the elite of UK colleges.
Origins and history
In 1919 a scheme of Agricultural Education for the County, which included the provision of a Farm institute, was approved at a meeting of the Kent Education Committee. Borden Grammar School at SittingbourneSittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
agreed to sell their property to this committee as soon as a new grammar school was built, but it was not until 1929 that Borden Grammar was occupied and its building adapted for Farm Institute purposes. Grove End Farm, Tunstall was purchased in July 1919 to be run as the Institute Farm.
After the 1939-1945 war, the Kent Education Committee bought the Swanley property together with 60 acres (24.3 ha) of land. Until 1949 the Horticulture Institute was used as a training centre in horticulture for ex-Service personnel under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture. In September 1949 the Education Committee took possession and the Horticulture Institute was developed and run on parallel line to the Farm Institute.
In 1958 the two institutes were merged to form the Kent Farm and Horticulture Institute. Although the two departments were 30 miles (48.3 km) apart, this was the first step in bringing the two together. In the spring of 1960, 600 acres (242.8 ha) of land was purchased from Hadlow for the establishment of a combined Institute. The Agricultural Department moved from Sittingbourne to the new site in the summer of 1966, and the Horticultural Department in the summer of 1967. The Insititute was then renamed Hadlow College of Agriculture and Horticulture.
On Friday 22 March 1968, His Royal Highness Prince Phillip the Duke of Edinburgh, officially opened the college.
Facilities
Set on a 630 acres (255 ha) estate, Hadlow College enjoys many facilities. Its equine centre is listed within the London 2012 Training Guide and the new animal management building (opening spring 2009) will be amongst the best in the country.Additional facilities on the estate include a fully functioning farm with a dairy herd and milking parlour, breeding sheep and arable crops, commercial dog grooming parlour and exotic species, variety of habitats for woodland and countryside management, stock ponds, hatchery, cross country equine courses together with international size arenas, 3.2 acres (12,950 m²) glasshouse complex and a landscape training centre.
Broadview Gardens, the on-site visitor attraction, also plays an important role in College life. These 10 acres (4 ha) of landscaped gardens provide an inspiration to the horticulture and garden design students, as well as being a useful area for them to practise their skills. It is also home to Sandell lake. These gardens are constantly being updated and added to. For example, Hadlow College’s garden – Full Frontal – which won Gold at the 2007 Hampton Court Flower Show has recently been re-created within the grounds. Highlighting the effects which block paving can have on the environment, Full Frontal presents an alternative based around the fact it is possible to have flowers, plants and a parking space in your front garden without the need for concrete.
In October 2009 Princess Christian's Farm
Princess Christian's Farm
Princess Christian's Farm is an educational facility geared towards people with learning disabilities. The farm is run by a partnership with Kent County Council Social Services for the benefit of adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, the overall aim of the partnership is for the...
came underneath the umbrella of the college. Run in partnership with Kent County Council
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Kent in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 84 elected councillors...
Social Services for the benefit of adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, the overall aim of the partnership is for the individuals to learn new skills and develop opportunities to move into employment.