Bretton Hall, West Yorkshire

Bretton Hall

Bretton Hall is a country house in West Bretton near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It housed Bretton Hall College (1949–2001) and was a campus of the University of Leeds (2001–2007). It is a Grade II* listed building.

History

The present building replaces an earlier hall on the same site, and 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 was sold to the West Riding County Council in 1947. Before the sale, the panelling of the "Henry VIII parlour" (preserved from the earlier hall and dating to the 1530s) was given to Leeds City Council and moved to Temple Newsam house.

The hall is set in 500 acres (2 km²) of lakes and parkland which is the home of the 224 acre (90 ha) Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the 100 acre (40 ha) Bretton Country Park, a designated Local Nature Reserve since 1994, which also houses sculptures.

College

In 1949, the hall opened as 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, Shelley Conn, This Morning's fashion expert John Scott, educationalist Wil Edmunds, the acclaimed Chotto Ookii Theatre Company and Louisa Stanley.

Most significantly it was from Bretton Hall College that Yorkshire Sculpture Park emerged. Founded by one time Bretton Hall lecturer Peter Murray CBE, YSP has become a leading international art centre renowned for art and performance in the landscape.

The College was in financial difficulty, 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 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), reversed its earlier decision and 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 documented on the BBC diary by the student Clair Parker.

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 5 and 6 May 2007, a reunion was organised for the alumni 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 was to be developed as a luxury hotel and spa. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park would take over the estate grounds and lakes.

Notable alumni

• Ian Boldsworth
• Shelley Conn
• Wil Edmunds
• Beatie Edney
• Emma Fryer
• Mark Gatiss
• John Godber
• Esther Hall
• Carla Henry
• Jonathan Kerrigan
• Louisa Leaman
• Kate McGregor
• Kay Mellor
• Simon Messingham
• Richard O'Brien
• Ray Peacock
• Steve Pemberton
• David Rappaport
• Sir Ken Robinson
• Stuart Semple
• Reece Shearsmith
• The Research
• Mark Thomas
• Chris T-T
• Colin Welland

External links

• University of Leeds press release on the proposed closure of Bretton Hall Campus
• BBC news item about the sale to Wakefield Council
• A website dedicated to the Bretton Hall reunion 1947 to 2007
• A website created after the final reunion of Bretton Hall in May 2007
• The Bretton Estate Archive website, giving information on the history of the House and grounds