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Home > About Wesley College
Didsbury College Manchester was requisitioned for a military hospital in October 1940, and closed to students. The future of the College had been under review because of the over-provision of training places in Manchester - three institutions - following Methodist Union in 1932. The decision was taken not to re-open Didsbury after the war, but transfer it 'with its name, endowments and traditions' to Bristol. The Manchester estate was purchased by the city's Education Committee for a teacher training college (later part of Manchester Polytechnic, now Manchester Metropolitan University). The site chosen in Bristol was a house on Henbury Hill, also given over to the War Office but returned to civilian use on November 5th 1945. Twelve students arrived on November 9th, and were accommodated locally, the building not being ready to receive them until April 1946. This first Didsbury College, Bristol, is the grey stuccoed Georgian house at the bottom of the present college drive and is now a nursery.
The Didsbury coat of arms over the main entrance - motto "Quo vadis sequimur" ('Where You lead we will follow') - is echoed in the modern Wesley College logo shown at the top of the page.
In 1967 Wesley College at Headingley, Leeds, was sold and the institution united with Didsbury College, Bristol, then re-named 'Wesley College, Bristol'. The Headingley name was perpetuated in the new block of teaching rooms (and a chapel) erected next to the main building, opened in April 1970 The present library and archives contain important books, manuscripts, records and artefacts connected with the history of Didsbury College, Wesley College Leeds, the Wesley family, and early Methodism. Wesley College is the only theological college directly under the control of the Methodist Conference. It also welcomes students from a wide variety of other backgrounds on courses tailored to different needs. It works in partnership with Trinity College Bristol, Bristol Baptist College, the University of Bristol, the West of England Ministerial Training Course, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton.
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Wesley College, as the successor to Didsbury College, Manchester (founded 1842), is the oldest theological college in world Methodism.
The house was inadequate in many ways however, and by 1949 plans were in hand for a completely new building in the extensive grounds.
The contract for a college with space for sixty students, common rooms, chapel etc. was placed in 1951 at a cost of £117,250. The foundation
stone was laid in September 1951, and work was completed in January 1953.
The original house, which held the library among other facilities, was retained at first. Later on it was converted into accommodation for married
students, and finally sold in the mid-1980's. Frances Greeves House, a block of purpose-built flats next to the playing field, now meets this need.