Bexley College
Bexley College is a general further education college in the London Borough of Bexley, England. It has two campuses at Walnut Tree Road, Erith and Upper Holly Hill Road, Belvedere.
Contents
History
It was built in 1906 by W Egerton, and then opened in 1907 as 'Erith Technical Institute'.[1] It is on the residential Erith Road, on the last part of the ridge, in the east of the district on the border of Erith.
It was formerly known as Erith College of Technology (ECOT) running Ordinary National Diplomas OND in Technology & Ordinary National Certificates ONC as well as Higher National Certificates HNC in Electrical & Electronic Engineering alongside A Levels and other vocational courses in Mechanical Engineering, Beauty, Hairdressing, Management and Construction.
In 1971, a new campus was built on Tower Road in Belvedere and became known as Bexley College in 1993. The Grade II listed Holly Hill Campus offers engineering and construction courses.
In 2014, the new main campus opened in Erith town centre, near to the station in Stonewood Road / Walnut Tree Road. The previous main campus at Tower Road in Belvedere was closed and as of October 2014 is being redeveloped by the new owners to provide housing.
Former campuses
The former St Joseph's Campus at 269 Woolwich Road (A206) near Bostall Heath in Abbey Wood used to be the St Joseph's Convent Grammar School (a Catholic girls' school) until the 1980s; there also was the Main Road campus in Sidcup. Both sites were sold off for housing developments principally to earn revenue for the College.
In 2014 Tower Road Campus became a 'former campus' with the opening of the new one in Erith Town Centre. The old site was also sold off for housing developments to help pay for the new modern campus in Erith.
Course structure
Bexley College offers vocational (job related) courses, Access to HE (for those lacking the qualifications to get into Uni) and Higher Education (University level) courses. Many of the Higher Education courses are run in conjunction with the University of Greenwich.[2]
Course areas
Access to Higher Education & Professional Studies, Art & Design, Photography, ICT, Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy, Higher Education (University level courses), Foundation Studies (Special Educational Needs), Graphic Design, ESOL (English as a Second Language), Health & Social Care, Childcare, Media, Teacher Training, Business, Law, Social Work, Health and Humanities, Bricklaying, Apprenticeships, Carpentry & Joinery, Gas, Multi Skills, Plumbing, Electrical
Alumni
Former St Joseph's Convent Grammar School
- Kate Bush CBE, musician famous for Wuthering Heights, where she studied piano and violin
- Jan Leeming (née Atkins), stalwart 1980s and 1990s newsreader on BBC News
Former lecturers
- David Evennett, Conservative MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford and former MP for Erith and Crayford from 1983-97
Other notes
The E4 drama Misfits is filmed in Thamesmead. Many scenes take place around Southmere Lake and Bexley College was once also used as a setting. [3]
The Walnut Tree Road campus in Erith was built to be eco friendly with biomass boilers, LED lighting and rainwater flushing for the toilets.
References
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- ↑ Bexley College Staff
- ↑ Thamesmead teens meet E4's Bafta-winning Misfits (From News Shopper)
External links
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