Aston Martin - Harwoods

West Dean College
West Dean, near Chichester, is home
to The Edward James Foundation
which is notable for its College,
with an international reputation
for its short courses, full-time MAs
and Diplomas, and its beautifully
restored Gardens which are open
to the public throughout the year.
The Edward James Foundation is
delighted to have recently formed
a partnership with Harwoods to
support the Foundation’s ongoing
work. As an important part of the
West Sussex landscape and history,
the overview below will give you
the story of the Foundation and why
in the 21st century support such as
that from Harwoods is important to
keep the Estate, the Gardens and
most importantly the College intact
and part of our heritage.
Edward James (1907-1984) inherited
the West Dean Estate in 1912, and
when he came of age in the 1920s,
he began a life-long patronage of the
arts, investing his money and time
in supporting artists, craftspeople,
dancers and poets. To ensure that
the West Dean Estate remained
intact, Edward established the
Edward James Foundation in 1964, a
charitable educational trust, “where
creative talents can be discovered
and developed and where one can
spread culture through the teaching
of crafts and the preservation of
knowledge that might otherwise be
destroyed or forgotten”. This quest
for preserving traditional crafts and
skills and using them within the
creation of art and objects and in
the conservation of our heritage is
central to all study at West Dean.
West Dean College opened in 1971
and is housed in Edward’s former
family home, a 19th century flintfaced
mansion, in 6,400 acres
of stunning landscape within the
rolling South Downs.
Today, the West Dean Estate is
engaged in property management,
farming and forestry. Income from
Estate, Gardens and conferences
supports the Edward James
Foundation’s educational charitable
objectives. West Dean College
has become an internationally
renowned centre for conservation,
making and visual arts. The MA
and Diploma courses include
Conservation and Making of: Books
and Library Materials; Ceramics;
Clocks; Furniture; Metalwork and
Stringed Musical Instruments. And
within Visual Arts: Painting and
Drawing; Sculpture and Tapestry
and Textile Art.
Following the role model of Edward
James, we are today seeking
new Patrons to ensure that these
traditional skills which are at risk of
diminishing are kept alive. Becoming
a Patron may be something that
interests you. There are a number of
levels that you can become a Patron,
our Friends scheme enables you to
become immediately involved in
our work whilst also giving you free
entry to our Gardens and a whole
host of other benefits. However
if you would like to find out more
about supporting The Edward James
Foundation, perhaps through a
company, a charitable trust or as
an individual then our Principal,
Robert Pulley would welcome the
opportunity to talk to you and show
you around the College, Gardens
and Estate.
You can find out more via our
website www.westdean.org.uk or
call 01243 811301 if you would
like to arrange a time to speak to the
Principal.