Other name | Llysfasi College |
|---|---|
Former names | Llysfasi Manor Farm School, Valley Farm, Llysfasi College of Agriculture, Coleg Llysfasi |
| Motto | An internationally recognised college of excellence |
| Type | Further Education College |
| Active | 1911–2013 |
| Address | Ruthin, Denbighshire, LL15 2LB , , , 53°03′47″N 3°16′26″W / 53.0631875°N 3.2738125°W |
| Website | Coleg Cambria Llysfasi |
Coleg Cambria Llysfasi, previously Coleg Llysfasi (Welsh for 'Llysfasi College'), is a campus of Coleg Cambria, a further education college, located in Pentrecelyn, near Ruthin, in Denbighshire, North Wales.
History
editThe former college had two main campuses in North Wales, the main Llysfasi site near Ruthin, and Wrexham Training campus on Ruabon Road, Felin Puleston, in Wrexham. The college reported to have a reputation focusing their expertise on Agricultural Studies, as well as providing both full and part-time courses concerning Animal care, business, care and childcare, engineering, hair, beauty and holistic therapy, information technology, modern languages and Welsh.[1][2]
By 2009, the college had more than 5,000 students and 130 staff. It also offered community support and courses in outreach centres across the Vale of Clwyd, Dee Valley, and North Wales coast.[2]
The college has been a centre for agricultural education for over 80 years, the main centre for the educational field in historic Denbighshire, Clwyd and modern Denbighshire. The college first specialised in agricultural education in 1911, following the breakup of the Ruthin Castle estate in September 1909. Initially a Farm Insitute, Llysfasi has expanded its educational services as more of a rural college.[3][4]
The farm of the college is more than 300 hectares (740 acres) in land area, and spans from steep hills, through open upland grass, to the lowlands of the Vale of Clwyd. The college's buildings are located at the foot of Nant y Garth.[3][4]
The original name was possibly Llys Llannerch, but later changed to Llys Masi (Welsh for 'Massey's court') by one of the descendents of a late 13th century tenant who held the same name, therefore may have occurred in the late 16th century when the manor house was built. From 1633 to 1909, it was owned by the Myddleton family of Chirk, and their descendants, the Wests and lastly the Cornwallis-Wests of Ruthin Castle.[3][4]
In 1909, Charles William Sandles of Cheshire bought the estate for £13,680, and made plans to establish an agricultural college on the site. The estate's name was changed to Valley Farm. However in March 1911, a mere three months prior to the proposed opening of the farm school, it faced financial difficulties. This lead to another sale of the estate to R.W. Brown, a Birkenhead cotton broker. Under Brown's ownership, the site underwent refurbishment and reverted its name to Llysfasi. Plans to establish an agricultural educational facility still went ahead, with it advertised as Llysfasi Manor Farm School.[3][4]
In 1919, Denbighshire County Council (1889–1974), utilising a Ministry of Agriculture grant, purchased Llysfasi from Brown. The ministry had a scheme after World War I to develop agricultural education. The school appointed its first prinicpal, Issac Jones in December 1919. Under council ownership the college had further structural and administrative improvements. As a result it was recognised as a "Farm Institute", with its first course launched on 10 May 1920.[3][4]
During World War II, the college suspended its classes from 1940 up until 28 October 1946. Following the war, the college added one-year courses to its offering. By the end of the 1950s, the college hosted a variety of rural courses, adding courses involving crops and animal husbandry, domestic skills, dairying, gardening, household management and accounting, poultry, machinery, and uphostery and furnishing.[3][4]
In the 1960s, the college underwent change and development. In 1961, the college established a board of governors, replacing the previous Farm Committee. In 1962, a hostel block opened on the site. Over the next few years many of the old farm buildings were replaced, with the new farm buildings opening in 1965, and a teaching block also opened in 1967.[3][4]
At the same time, the ministry no longer held any direct control over Farm Institutes, as well as the college altering its name to Llysfasi College of Agriculture. From the 1960s, the college developed its courses further.[3][4]
On 1 August 2010, the college merged into Deeside College with Welsh Assembly Government approval. They formed part of the Deeside College Group, one of the largest institutions in Wales and the UK. The group had almost 22,000 annual students, more than 1,000 staff, and an annual income of almost £40 million at the time.[4]
Campus
editLlysfasi campus
editThe Llysfasi campus is located in the Vale of Clwyd, near Ruthin, in Denbighshire and within the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It has an agriculture teaching centre, engineering workshops, community centre, facilities dedicated to forestry and countryside, a dairy centre, accommodation, a library, and a cafe and refectory. There are also plans to establish a sustainability hub on the site.[5]
By 2013, the college's library had an archive room, containing historical photographs of the former manor and of the college's early years, as well as a various collection of memorabilia.[3][4]
Wrexham Training
editReferences
edit- ^ "Welcome to Llysfasi College". Llysfasi College. Archived from the original on 19 May 2009.
- ^ a b "About Llysfasi College". Llysfasi College. Archived from the original on 7 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "The History of Llysfasi College". Llysfasi College. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Coleg Llysfasi". Deeside College. Archived from the original on 6 April 2013.
- ^ "Llysfasi". Coleg Cambria. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
External links
editUniversities and colleges in Wales | |
|---|---|
| Universities | |
| Further education colleges | |
| Sixth form colleges | |
| Conservatoire | |
