Overview

West Dean College is at the heart of the 6,400 acre West Dean Estate in the slopes of the South Downs. Designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it offers a sensational setting for you to study in.

Formerly the home of Edward James, patron of many surrealist artists including Dalí and Magritte, the 19th-century flint-faced mansion has, for over 35 years, been home to West Dean College – a centre to study traditional and contemporary arts, crafts, writing, gardening and music. The College was set up in 1971 in response to Edward James's vision of establishing 'an educational foundation 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'.

West Dean College offers MAs and diplomas in Visual Arts and Conservation Studies, and programmes over 700 short courses per year in arts, crafts, gardening, music and creative writing.