Bretton Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bretton Hall is a stately home in West Bretton in the county of West Yorkshire, England, near Wakefield. 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.
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 Kay Mellor, Colin Welland, Beatie Edney, Wayne McGregor, John Godber, Sir Ken Robinson, David Rappaport, Mark Thomas, and three of the four League of Gentlemen creators/performers, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. Currently studying there are a new crop of innovative and lively young actors, performance designers, dancers, writers and arts managers, who are all groomed and ready for exposure.
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 will move the School to the main University campus in the summer of 2007 (allowing all existing Bretton-based students to complete their studies there).
In June 2006 it was announced that Bretton Hall was to be sold to Wakefield Council.
On 5th and 6th May 2007, a reunion has been organised for the alumni and students of Bretton Hall between 1947 to 2007. This will be a celebration for school's contribution to the arts industry and also the academic excellence it has produced for the last 60 years. For more information about the reunion, please visit http://www.bretton-hall.co.uk
