Chantry Church leaders from the 14th century onwards were concerned by the influence of
John Wyclif and his fellow
Lollards on the
Weald and
Romney Marsh. They felt priests educated in
Latin and theology, living in the community, would be better able to counter circulation of
heretical translations and interpretation. Where these priests' persuasion failed, the alerted church authorities could punish committed dissenters, or even have them
burnt as
at Wye in 1557. In 1447 after protracted negotiation, he obtained about an acre of land, including dwellings known as Shalewell, Goldsmyth and Shank, from the
Abbot and Convent of Battle who owned the Manor of Wye. Kempe constructed the
Latin School, and buildings around a
cloistered quadrangle for the accommodation of
secular priests. and included a teacher of grammar (
Latin). The
master had to be a scholar of theology and member of Kempe's alma mater,
Merton College. The
dedication to
Saint Gregory and
Saint Martin mirrors that of Kempe's adjoining
church. An earlier 1290 Wye Church, on the site, had been solely named for Saint Gregory. The further reference, at both the college and church, to Saint Martin may have been to recognise the contribution of Battle Abbey, itself dedicated to him. Other partially surviving chantry colleges near Wye include the larger
Maidstone, and smaller
Cobham Colleges. These properties were
alienated first to
Catherine Parr's Secretary,
Walter Buckler for £200, who promptly sold them in 1546 to his brother in law, and property speculator,
Maurice Denys. Following Denys' disgrace the college was acquired by
William Damsell in 1553, thence passing on death in 1582 to his four daughters. Harpsfield's treatment of Damsell was lenient by comparison to the two
Protestants he ordered
burnt to death at Wye
that same year. The 1708
will of Lady Joanna Thornhill, the daughter of Sir
Bevil Grenville, second wife of descendant Richard Thornhill, and
Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen
Catherine of Braganza provided funds to care for and educate the children of Wye. Her trust purchased parts of the college buildings and other property for that purpose. and Lincoln College.
Trustees of Lady Thornhill's charity school, requiring more space for girls, converted an outbuilding at the south east of the grammar school garden for the purpose. The space, with extant exposed
crown post roof, belonging to Sir George Wheler's trust became known as the college
Wheelroom. commonly known as
Whiskey Money, was intended to
compensate licensees in the country required to close. It created an income which
Sir Arthur Dyke Acland instead proposed to
Parliament be earmarked for the new
county councils to spend on technical instruction. His amendment, it is reported, was adopted by a
lethargic and half empty house. The combined Lady Thornhill Trust owned its school premises; nearby Amage Farm, and agricultural land on
Romney Marsh. An 1891 proposal from the
Earl of Winchilsea envisaged this should be the basis of a 40 male student
agricultural college for Kent, Surrey and Sussex, and he opened with thirteen students. It was then
the first and only college founded and maintained by public money solely for the benefit of agriculture in England. Hall's student roll grew to 46 in 1900; 71 in 1902, and 124 in 1913. Unconventionally for a college of agriculture, Hall chose to appoint teaching staff that were scientists rather than agriculturalists with some scientific insight, and at opening, none had agricultural experience. He later accepted that with his initial
over-emphasis on basic science the establishment was fortunate to be accepted so quickly by the farming community. Rather than entrust the new college's farm to Hall's team the governors chose to run it themselves with the help of a
bailiff. It was not until Frank Baybrook Smith briefly joined the college to teach agriculture that the governors felt sufficiently confident in the academic team to relinquish direct control of the college farm.
Ernest Stanley Salmon helped
hop and other growers combat fungi, Complementing individual consultations and publications, college staff toured the south-east of England giving lectures to agricultural or rural organisations on "fruit growing,
farriery, poultry,
bee keeping, and numerous
veterinary topics", Indeed,
itinerant agriculture lecturer Hall From 1894, students seeking a three-year qualification completed the college's two-year diploma and were then prepared a further year for
examination by the
Royal Agricultural Society of England, the
Surveyors' Institution or by
Cambridge University. The arrangement was reversed for the new London University Bachelor of Science degree. Students could take first year basic science courses anywhere in the university's Faculty of Science and the latter years provided specialist teaching such as
agricultural chemistry,
agricultural botany and
agricultural engineering.
John Russell had joined the college in 1901 and took over
chemistry teaching from Henry Cousins. and principal Dunstan's daughter Hester. Ahead of war in 1939,
Betteshanger Summer School visited the college farm. Lord Northbourne, originator of the term
organic farming, hosted a
biodynamic agriculture study week and was
governor of the college. During
World War II the college initially remained open, alongside providing training to the
Women's Land Army, but closed in autumn 1940, The college dining hall (
Wheelroom) provided a space for servicemen's
Catholic Mass, the first time it had been celebrated in the village of Wye since the
Reformation. Former
World War II RAF Wing Commander and
beagle pack. In 1947, the South Eastern Agricultural College formally amalgamated with Swanley Horticultural College as the School of Agriculture and Horticulture within the University of London. Swanley College's former premises had been heavily damaged during World War II and it was decided to rebuild at a combined college rather than in
Swanley. Alongside his roles at the Council for Small Industries in Rural Areas, and as
expert witness to
public inquiries into large scale
planning applications, Wibberley continued at the college until 1985. Wye's Double Digger was tested around the world, notably at
Purdue University. A business was established to market it, and commercial two furrow version built, before development ceased. In 1977, the college appointed Ian Lucas as principal to replace Harry Darling. Darling's departure was marked by a farewell above Wye village, on the
Crown slope painted in
weedkiller for all to see across the
Stour Valley. During the early 1980s, Government spending cuts led to a series of mergers between University of London colleges. In spite of Wye being among the very smallest, and persistent concerns that agriculture was not "a fit subject to study at university", it was spared a merger because of physical isolation outside the capital and the absence of course overlap / potential cost savings with sister London colleges. In 1997 the Kempe Centre, named for Cardinal
John Kempe, was opened by
Princess Anne at the junction of Olantigh and Occupation Roads. It subsequently formed the nucleus of
Wye School. Of the £4 million projected cost only £750,000 came from the
Higher Education Funding Council for England. The college provided £2 million from property sales (including Court Lodge); the
Frank Parkinson Agricultural Trust donated £100,000, and £500,000 came from an appeal including sums from the
Wolfson Foundation,
Westminster foundations and individual
alumni. The remainder was funded by
commercial loans. Apart from Imperial College, mergers were considered with
University of Kent at Canterbury and
University of Greenwich. The governors concluded that
Imperial College, like Wye a constituent College of the University of London, complemented Wye most closely. The colleges were already partners in
Natural Resources International, though so too was Greenwich. Imperial College was publicly enthusiastic. Nevertheless, 25% of academic staff at Wye were offered
redundancy terms and took them. Worse still, Imperial College inadvertently did not include Wye undergraduate courses in its
prospectus so
admissions plummeted in 2000 and 2001.
Imperial College scheme In 2005, Imperial College announced it intended to convert Wye College's estate into a research centre for
non-food crops and
biomass fuels, and that it had support from
Kent County Council and
Ashford Borough Council. Later accounts included commercial biofuel production facilities on Wibberley Way and
BP suggested as putative partner / operator. Leaked documents revealed Imperial College expected to gain £100 million by building 4,000 houses on in the
Kent Downs, provoking national as well as local opposition. Imperial College's project team had spent at least £850,000 on external consultants preparing their
Wye Park masterplan, and subsequently paid
Bell Pottinger to lobby regional and national government in its favour. The following year science staff relocated from Wye to Imperial College's South Kensington or
Silwood Park sites The main village properties were sold to
Telereal Trillium in 2015. Further sales included Squires Hostel as three dwellings; Wolfson Hostel as a site for six houses; the buildings opposite the college on High Street, and the pig, sheep and poultry (Agricultural Field Station / Farm Mechanisation Unit). In 2021, Telereal Trillium obtained
planning permission to convert the traditional college buildings to 38 dwellings. Conditions require public access one day a month to the
cloistered quadrangle; Old
lecture theatre;
Old Hall;
Parlour, and
Jacobean staircase, and use of the
Chapel for public worship. The former estates office area is reserved for charity, Wye Heritage.
Imperial College's
endowment fund retains ownership of the Wye College farmland. ==Estate and facilities==