East Durham College - History

History

The history of Houghall Farm can be traced back through many centuries. In 1260 the manor at Houghall, plus the attached lands were granted to the Priory and Convent of Durham. Although some of the land was leased, most of the area was farmed by the monks themselves. Sheep were a very important part of the farm at this time and also crops, such as oats and barley were grown. The land was very marshy so fish farming took place in the many ponds and the rushes, which grew abundantly, were harvested for use in the Cathedral, Cloisters and Castle.

The Priory let the farm in 1464 to Richard Rackett, and the tenancy remained with the Rackett family until the dissolution of the monasteries. Houghall was then sold to Viscount Lisle, the tenant at that time being Clement Farrowe. The farm was returned to the Church (Dean and Chapter) in 1660.

A survey of the farm was carried out in 1794 and it is interesting to note that many of the fields had the same shape and the same name as they have today. The crops grown at this time were oats, barley, wheat, grass, clover and rape.

In 1836 Houghall and other land in the area was endowed to Durham University. In 1920 Durham County Council then bought the farm to provide the site for an agricultural school and training farm.

The course of the river Wear has changed many times over the centuries, both through natural means and by design. A large area, which is now part of the farm, was once the river bed. The silt deposits left by the river have contributed greatly to the fertility of the farm.

The present college results from the merger in June 1999 of Durham College of Agriculture and Horticulture (also known as Houghall College) and East Durham Community College in Peterlee (formerly known as Peterlee Tertiary College in the 1980s and Peterlee College since 1989). The former campus at the town centre on Burnhope Way (B1320) was originally Easington Technical College and the campus at Howletch was originally Peterlee Grammar School.

In 2006, the college was given planning permission to build a new campus at Peterlee because the buildings at the two campuses there did not meet the requirements for access for disabled people. In September 2008 a brand new £36m college building was opened on the Howletch site; the old college building at Howletch has also been demolished to make way for further college buildings and the old college building at Burnhope Way will be demolished to make way for a Tesco Extra. The college's new 220 seat theatre was named after Berthold Lubetkin.