Westminster Training College was established as the Wesleyan Normal Institute, Westminster in October 1851. It relocated to Oxford in 1959, and merged with Oxford Brookes University in 2000.
Today, the Westminster College Oxford Trust continues to care for the legacy of the College, including its archive (partially listed below); works of art linked to the College; and its book collection which focuses on material relating to teacher training; Methodism; or material linked to former staff and alumni.
Notable works of art can be viewed as part of our wider collection on ArtUK.
Highlights in the Westminster College Collection include:
- Student records from the 1860s onwards
- Records of the College’s activity during the First and Second World Wars, including its Roll of Men in the King’s Forces; a Blitz Map covering the City of Westminster; and a journal covering activity by a member of staff between 1940-45
- Copies of the College magazine, The Westminsterian
- Works of Art by Elizabeth Frink, Duncan Grant and John Piper
- Artefacts relating to College life and buildings, including a gold plated squash ball and a piece of College pudding from the 1890s
A selection of College archival material can be found on our Digital Collections page, or on British Online Archives.
College Archive Catalogue
Westminster College (collection overview)
This archive catalogue was initially created in the 1980s. Although some items have been inserted since, much of the College archive is not reflected below, including recently accessioned student records; student magazines and photographs; and records relating to the merger with Oxford Brookes University. For more information about the College collection, use our Contact form.
Westminster College Archives (A)
Administrative Records of the College including land deeds and associated papers for 18th and 19th century Westminster and the papers of the College Board of Trustees.
Westminster College Archives (B-H)
An assortment of College records, including the records of the (Wesleyan) Methodist Education Committee, including Student Registers for Westminster and Southlands Colleges; national education reports and papers; and the personal papers of former staff and students.
Westminster College Archives (K-T)
Multi-Media material produced by, or relating to, Westminster College, including film and photographs; textiles; and associated objects.
Associated Collections
fAlongside the collections of Westminster College, we also care for the records of associated initiatives, such as the Avec Consultancy Archive; the archive of College alum and notable educationalist, Dr Francis Bartels; and collections relating to early Methodist educational activity, including the archive of the Hudson Family.
The Smetham Collection
James Smetham (1821-1889) was an artist, poet, and teacher. He was a correspondent of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Ruskin, Ford Madox Brown, and others in Pre-Raphaelite circles. Most characteristic of Smetham’s artistic outputs were his prolific visual ‘squarings’ and literary ‘ventilators’. This collection includes over 40 original artworks by Smetham, as well as manuscript notebooks, sketchbooks, and other materials relating to his life and work.
The Westminster Oxford Research Network 