Special Collections & Archives

Southlands: 150 Years of a Nomadic College, by Gilly King, Heritage Advisor, University of Roehampton

This year Southlands College, one of the four constituent colleges of the University of Roehampton, celebrates its 150^th anniversary. Throughout its long history, the college has been located on five different sites. 

On Monday 26th February 1872 Southlands Wesleyan Methodist Training College opened for the training of women teachers at Battersea, an early pioneer of higher education for women.

BATTERSEA 1872

As early as 1924 there was discussion of a possible move from Battersea, which had declined into an area of slums and factories. Successive additions had reduced the size of the College gardens, and windows looked out over streets where fights took place at night. Increased lecture accommodation and the provision of study-bedrooms would only be possible in new buildings. In November 1925 the Committee decided to move Southlands to a new site, and the difficult search began. The governing body looked at various properties and finally decided upon The Belmont Estate, a grand Victorian property on Parkside, Wimbledon. The property in Battersea was sold to Battersea Borough Council in 1927, but due to legal problems and the need for extensive redevelopment Wimbledon would not be ready until 1930.

The college needed to find a temporary home which was finally discovered at Dover, where the Burlington Hotel was made ready for the September of 1927. Miss Brunyate, the College Principal, commented: “It is surprising with what ease we have been able to turn a hotel into a college!”

DOVER 1927

The College returned to London in 1930. The Belmont estate, which took so long to acquire, was the property of the Duc de Vendome, great grandson of King Louis Philippe of France. He had sold the estate as he preferred to live at the Château de Tourronde in Lugrin, France. The grand house was renamed Chapman House, after a former College Principal.

WIMBLEDON 1930

When war came in 1939 the students returned a little later than usual, but the College remained in Wimbledon until 1940. In 1940 the college was evacuated to a Methodist Guest House, Highbury in Weston-super-Mare. This photograph of Highbury, Weston-super-Mare, was taken on 8^th May 1945: The VE Day celebrations reflected the words in the popular WWII song, "We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line."

WESTON-SUPER-MARE 1940-1949

The students started to return to Wimbledon from 1946, but from 1946 until 1949 the College used both Weston and Wimbledon; students took turns to live in each section of the College.

In 1965 the College admitted male students for the first time! In 1975 Southlands College became a constituent college of the Roehampton Institute together with Digby Stuart, Froebel and Whitelands Colleges. In1996 the disposal of the Wimbledon site began and in 1997 Southlands College opened in its new site on Roehampton Lane. In 2004 Southlands became a constituent College of the University of Roehampton - one of the youngest universities with four Victorian colleges.

ROEHAMPTON 1995

If you would like a copy of the full history of the College, please email gilly.king@roehampton.ac.uk