Audley Cooper’s Hill has a long and colourful history, with links to the Priory of Ankerwyke, Henry VIII, Edward VI, the Statue of Eros, now at the centre of London’s Piccadilly Circus, and more. Today, the Victorian Gothic building has been transformed from student accommodation into a luxury retirement village.
Over the years the site has been passed through the hands of many notable owners, such as
After 35 years, in 1905, the college moved to Oxford University and the grand estate was purchased by Baron Cheylesmore, a British Army Officer in the First World War, and his wife, for use as a family home until Baron Cheylesmore was killed in a motor accident on 29th July 1925 (Source: thebritishempire.co.uk).
The family were devastated and a ballroom which was being built for his son’s 21st Birthday Party was left unfinished. Nowadays this building is housing the Audley Club and the Spa.
The expanding Shoreditch Training College had outgrown their accommodation in Pitfield Street, Hoxton, London. The College was a teacher training institution for teachers of handicrafts with it’s origins dating back to the 1900’s, when the London County Council set up a scholarship scheme for pupil teachers in handicrafts. The college merged with Brunel University in 1980, to later specialise in design and technology courses. In 2004, the Department of Design was moved to the main Brunel University Campus at Uxbridge and the Runnymede Campus became purely residential, providing accommodation for students from Royal Holloway College, selling Cooper's Hill in 2007 for £46.6M to the Oracle Group.
In 2017 Audley Group and Royalton have been granted the permission for re-development of the campus for mixed usage, care facilities for elderly and private housing.
For more details about the history of Cooper's Hill please download "A Brief History Of Cooper's Hill" by Mr Towler, Audley Cooper's Hill homeowner.
The Shoreditch Training College students were in for a very welcome surprise during their Valedictory event in May 1978.
The band who were scheduled to perform at the event in the College Chapel, had to cancel at the last minute and the now Sir Elton John performed at The Shoreditch Training College event in 1978.
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Special thanks to Mr Towler, owner at Audley Cooper's Hill, for his input and photographs. You can download the original presentation by Mr Towler below.
