A Proud History

1901 Harper Adams College opens

The College opened to six students in 1901, with 49 by the end of the first academic year. In these early years, under the Principal Hedworth Foulkes (1901-22), student numbers grew steadily with a mixture of flexible full and part-time courses of varying durations being offered along with community-based education that was open to all who wished to improve their crop production and/or animal health, welfare and productivity. When it opened, the College consists of the Main Building, housing accommodation for the Principal, his family and 50 students, plus lecture and laboratory facilities for up to 100 students.

It also had a 178-acre farm on its doorstep, along with the early 1800s family farmhouse, Ancellor House and its associated farm buildings. 

Scholarships were offered and fees are deliberately kept to a minimum to ensure that as many people as possible were able to benefit from studying at the new institution. A wide range of other services were also offered including personal development programmes for school teachers, crop and animal health advisory services for farmers and growers, veterinary and entomology advisory lectures, practical crop trials, machinery demonstrations. 

The campus often hosted a range of local, national and international visitors, and demonstrations also took place at national and regional agricultural shows.

Early years

A specialist poultry husbandry department was created in 1909.

Egg laying trials, which started in 1912, earned the College a wide following.

First World War

Harper Adams remained open throughout the First World War, fulfilling important duties such as the training of disabled soldiers, primarily in poultry husbandry. In April 1915 the College was significantly the first institution to provide courses for women in wartime farm work. In 1916, for the first time women enrolled at Harper Adams on full-time courses and were to remain until after the Second World War when priority of places went to discharged men. The College was also instrumental in providing a wide range of wartime services, such as giving members of the Women’s Land Army courses in tractor driving.

Agricultural depression

After the First World War the fortunes of the College struggled to revive amid the agricultural depression of the 1920s and 1930s, despite the work of Principal Charles Crowther (1922-1944). Student numbers dipped dangerously low, with just forty-eight students in 1925-26.

The difficulties facing farming at this time did, however, strengthen support for the Advisory Services and the number of advisers at the College and the range of work that they undertook expanded dramatically. They also taught students, sharing their considerable experience and expertise and ensuring students were taught the very latest scientific techniques relating to animal and plant diseases and their control. The advisors also gave lectures to farming groups who visited the College, as well as travelling across the region to give lectures and talks in village halls and similar venues so their expertise could be shared widely with working farmers in particular.

Post War Years

The post war years were led by Principal Archibald McVicar (1944-1946) and Principal Bill Price (1946-1962). They saw a steady expansion in student numbers. In 1956-57 numbers reached 222. In the late 1940s and early 1950s a thorough modernisation programme took place. Amongst his other achievements, Principal McVicar was instrumental in introducing Ayrshire Cattle to the farm. Principal Price focused particularly on the institutions links with industry and developed them further. He was successful in building further industry links and securing sponsorship for new machinery and other equipment.

He and his wife were also very keen to ensure that the sense of community on campus remained strong as student numbers and the campus and farm continued to grow and develop. They also helped the Harper Adams Club for alumni to enter a new phase in its development, celebrating a special “Harper Adams Day” annually when alumni could return to the campus with their families for a re-union, to tour the campus and engage with staff (the Club continues to run an annual reunion event on campus).

To celebrate 50 years since the opening of Harper Adams, HRH Princess Elizabeth visited to open Jubilee Hostel in 1951. This was the first Royal visit since 1926.

The 1960s

Further changes at the College took place in the 1960s, under Principal Reginald Kenney (1962-77), including the opening of the Queen Mother Hall . This new building included a new modern kitchen and refectory and a flexible assembly hall/ballroom with a stage for holding larger meetings/events, student drama society plays and other types of campus based entertainment.

Further Halls of residence were also needed to accommodate growing student numbers. Bradford and Ward Halls were built in the early 1960s, and Boughey Hall, a modern teaching block with library, and a students' union building followed.

In 1964 responsibility for funding the College passed from the Ministry of Agriculture to the Department of Education and Science, bringing with it tighter financial control, but also some opportunities to bid for capital funding. Government concern to expand opportunities in Higher Education and to raise the standard of national qualifications in agricultural education led to the introduction of the Higher National Diploma (HND) with its sandwich period. The first students enrolled for the HND in 1969. In 1969-70 student numbers rose to over 300 for the first time.

Investing in learning

During this period, significant investment was made in learning and teaching resources. The Bamford Library opened in the 2003/04 academic year, and in June 2004, HRH The Princess Royal opened the newly refurbished teaching accommodation in the Foulkes-Crowther Building.

Research was a real growth area and increasingly, it was undertaken by postgraduate students.

Campus Developments

During this period, thanks to support from a wide range of sources, including successful bids for government funding, donations from alumni, industry partners, individuals, regional and national charities, significant investment in further new facilities continued on campus.

Photograph: Elizabeth Creak Laboratories 2017

Full university title and beyond

In December 2012 Harper Adams was awarded full university title. Dr David Llewellyn took the title Vice-Chancellor in line with the academic and administrative heads of most other UK universities. Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, was installed as the first Chancellor of Harper Adams University in 2013.

Significant investment has continued in to the campus, and Harper was named Modern University of the Year 2017 in the Times Good University Guide 2016, and Whatuni Awards 2016 University of the Year.