Heythrop’s Kensington site to be retained if merger with St Mary’s goes ahead

THE principal of  Heythrop College has said a planned partnership with St Mary’s University would include the use of its valuable central London site, writes Christopher Lamb.

The 400-year-old Jesuit-run college and St Mary’s, which was granted full university status last year, are in the middle of detailed negotiations over a merger that would represent a major development of Catholic higher education in the United Kingdom. A final agreement is expected by the early summer.
Heythrop is currently located in a quiet, residential square off High Street Kensington, a prime inner London site, while St Mary’s is situated on a 50-acre campus in Twickenham, in the south-west of the capital.

Speaking to The Tablet on Wednesday, Fr Michael Holman SJ, Heythrop’s principal, said any partnership arrangement would mean working “across both campuses”. He said: “There is a great advantage of being in the centre of the city. There would be great advantage for St Mary’s to have a central London centre although it already has a fine, beautiful campus.”

Fr Holman explained that the two institutions were looking to develop a “joint entity” that would make a “significant contribution to research, teaching and learning, outreach and public-square work.

“We believe we can do more together than we can apart,” he added.

Heythrop, which specialises in theology and philosophy, is a college of the University of London.

It is facing financial difficulties and has announced it will not accept undergraduates from this September. Without a partnership deal, the college could close.

Fr Holman said that Heythrop, an autonomous college with around 650 students, does not have the “economies of scale” needed but that it would be a “crying shame” if the college’s mission came to an end. He said the college would do all it could to make the St Mary’s deal work but if it were not possible then it would need to look at other options. The Heythrop site is understood to be worth around £100m.

Fr Holman stressed that the college was committed to the teaching of its current undergraduate students in Kensington until 2017.