Ewell County Technical College / NESCOT

Ewell County Technical College 1953
Image courtesy of NESCOT ©

In September 1953 the first intake of students attended Surrey County Council’s Ewell Technical College. The college had been built at a cost of £250,000 on arable land that had previously been part of Priest Hill Farm.

1932 OS Map

Two Construction Photographs
Image courtesy of NESCOT ©

Ewell County Technical College c1953
Image courtesy of Bourne Hall Museum

The college was formally opened on Monday March 22nd 1954 by Lt.Gen. Sir Ronald M.Weeks, K.C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., T.D. (Chairman of Vickers Limited and also Chairman of the National Advisory Council on Education for Industry and Commence). The first Principal was Colonel Thomas Buchanan who was made Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey in 1964 and awarded an OBE in 1970.

Principal Thomas Buchanan
Image courtesy of NESCOT ©

The First Heads of Departments
Image courtesy of NESCOT ©

The aim of the college was to provide education in vocational and technical subjects. A total of 789 students attended in the first academic year split between the three departments – Building, Science and General Education. The college quickly gained recognition for pioneering ‘liberal education’ with students attending Liberal Studies courses (from sailing to folk dancing) on Wednesday afternoons. Genesis, Cream, Elvis Costello, Ozzy Osbourne’s band Black Sabbath and the Beatles all played at the college before they hit the big time!

From the start student welfare was taken seriously and the college was one of the first to appoint a student welfare officer. Today this role which includes advice and guidance, finance and counselling services (with specialist support for students leaving care) is handled by a team of experienced staff. Non academic roles includes amongst others: cleaners, nursing; childcare and security and maintenance staff.

By the mid-1970s there were 4,000 students at the college, with fees costing between £72 and £120 per academic year for over-19s.

Top Row: Metalwork, Science and Domestic Science
Middle Row: Brick Laying and Laboratory
Bottom Row: Refectory and Business Studies
Images courtesy of NESCOT ©

Construction of two extensions
Images courtesy of NESCOT ©

In 1973 a fire swept through the newly-built extension, gutting rooms on two floors and causing an estimated £100,000 of damage. The blaze began in a science laboratory, but the cause remained unclear.

Fire Damage in new extention 1973
Images courtesy of NESCOT ©

The College changed its name to North East Surrey College of Technology, NESCOT for short, during 1975. In 1988 the former Epsom High School was absorbed into the college. The 230 seat Adrian Mann Theatre was named after the college’s first chairman of governors – Mr Mann who retired as chairman in 1963 but continued as a governor for a further ten years before becoming Governor Emeritus.

The Nescot Campus
Image courtesy of NESCOT ©

The Nescot campus covers 70 acres of land with over 27,000 m² of floor space and contains a good mix of building styles, many of which have been used as sets for TV series and films. For example, Peter Sellers was filmed running through the distinctive glass walkways linking the college buildings as the infamous Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther films. The newest building, the Skills Park officially opened in March 2017.

Entrance to The Skills Park
Image courtesy of NESCOT ©

Currently (2020) the college offers courses in among other things:

Animal Studies
Art & Design
Business & Management
Childcare
Computing (Recognized for providing courses for Apple, CISCO, Microsoft, and Oracle products)
Construction (Brickwork, Carpentry & Joinery, Electrical, Plastering, Plumbing)
Counselling
Creative Media (Film & TV)
Games, Animation & VFX
Hair & Beauty
Hair & Media Make-Up
Health & Social Care
Hospitality & Catering
Motor Vehicle Maintenance
Music
Performing Arts
Sport & Sports Therapy
Teacher Training
Sports
Travel & Tourism
Uniformed Public Services

Notable staff

Naturalist David Bellamy not only studied at the college he later worked as a laboratory technician.
Cartoonist Frank Hampson, who drew the Dan Dare comic strips was a technician at the college
Dr Guy Vine, father to Jeremy and Tim Vine, taught civil and structural engineering at Nescot.

Notable alumni

Professor Peter Saville, psychologist
Jane Wilson-Howarth author
David Bellamy author, broadcaster, environmental campaigner and botanist
Joe Wicks (coach) fitness coach

Peter Reed 2020
With thanks to Diane Tidd

Author

Peter Reed