The 75th anniversary of the founding of Shuttleworth College by Dorothy Shuttleworth was celebrated in a marquee celebration in the grounds of the Shuttleworth Trust estate on Thursday, September 9, 2021.
Princess Charlotte, granddaughter of Dorothy and Patron of the Shuttleworth Trust, joined Ian Pryce CBE of The Bedford College Group on stage to mark the special occasion.
Princess Charlotte reminded the audience of VIP guests how the college was founded two years after the Shuttleworth Trust which was set up in memory of Dorothy’s only son, Richard.
The first cohort of students in estate management in 1946 were just six men. Now Shuttleworth College has nearly 750 full-time students (rising to 1,200 including part-time) in a wide range of land-based learning subjects.
“My grandmother believed students would benefit from being in this country setting,” said the Princess.
“Today we can be proud of having such a reliable partner in running the college.”
Ian Pryce paid tribute to recently retired Mike Johnson, among the guests, who welcomed Bedford College when it joined with Shuttleworth College in 2009. Together they continued Mike’s great work in encouraging many more students to the rural campus, and a 40 year lease has secured the foreseeable future of the establishment.
The opening in 2019 of the Zoological Education Centre, complete with tropical biome, was celebrated at this recent event with guests being given a tour of areas containing animals otherwise found from the Amazon to Australia. The Princess praised the astonishing achievement of the creation of the ZEC which she said she had found an unforgettable experience when visiting.
Catherine Lloyd, Director of Shuttleworth College, explained to the guests there was a wide range of facilities on campus: from the equine to fisheries specialist centres, the Kings Hill farm and exciting outdoor sporting facilities: “This is a vibrant place with an expanding curriculum which would have been of interest to Richard Shuttleworth.”
The Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth Remembrance Trust remembers the last heir of the industrial Shuttleworth fortune, his passion for racing cars and aeroplanes; his love of his Old Warden home, and the agricultural genesis of his wealth.
The Shuttleworth Trust promotes training and discovery in the knowledge and skills of agriculture and of aviation and automotive technology.
