Plymouth Marjon University

Plymouth Marjon University, commonly referred to as Marjon, is the trading name of the University of St Mark and St John, a university based primarily on a single campus on the northern edge of Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom. Formerly named University College Plymouth St Mark & St John, the institution was awarded full university status in 2013.^[1]

Plymouth Marjon University

Coat of Arms
Other name	University of St Mark & St John
Former names	University College Plymouth St Mark & St John (2007–2012) College of St Mark and St John (1923–2007)
Motto	Latin: Abeunt studia in mores
Motto in English	Out of studies comes character
Type	Independent Church of England voluntary
Established	University status (2012) Joint College (1923) St John's (1840) St Marks (1841)
Affiliation	University of Exeter (1991-2013)[1]
Vice-Chancellor	Claire Taylor
Students	2,680 (2022/23)[2]
Undergraduates	2,075 (2022/23)[2]
Postgraduates	605 (2022/23)[2]
Location	Plymouth , England, UK
Website	marjon.ac.uk

The Vice-Chancellor of the university since 2023 is Professor Claire Taylor.^[3]

History

Original college building in Chelsea

A model of the Chelsea Campus

The university's history dates back to the foundation of its predecessor colleges in London, St John's College and St Mark's College.^[4] The former chapel of St Mark's College, designed by Edward Blore is on the Fulham Road, Chelsea, and is now a private residence. ^[5]

St Mark's College in Chelsea was founded by the National Society (now National Society for Promoting Religious Education) in 1841. Its first principal, The Reverend Derwent Coleridge, son of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, emphasised the study of Latin and worship in the college chapel.^[6] During the First World War, St Mark's College was requisitioned by the War Office to create the 2nd London General Hospital, a facility for the Royal Army Medical Corps to treat military casualties.^[7]

Battersea Training College was established in Old Battersea House in 1840 by Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, together with Edward Carleton Tufnell, as a private teacher training institution.^[8] Kay-Shuttleworth transferred the college to the National Society in 1843.^[9][10] The college was renamed as St John's College, Battersea in around 1879.^[11]

These colleges merged in 1923, establishing a single institution in Chelsea as the College of St Mark & St John. In 1973 came the move to Plymouth due to the college outgrowing the Chelsea campus.

In 1991 the college became affiliated to the University of Exeter, which accredited it to run undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to degree awards of the University of Exeter, and in 2007, gained University College status, as the University College Plymouth St Mark & St John. It was awarded full university status as Plymouth Marjon University in 2013.^[1]

Campus

The university campus is located several miles north of Plymouth city centre, next to Derriford Hospital. Residential accommodation is provided, with all first-year students guaranteed a place. In 2013 a major investment programme in campus facilities was completed, with new sport and exercise science laboratories, extensive indoor and outdoor sports provision, a theatre, a media centre and a music studio.

• 
  The main entrance to the campus in Derriford, Plymouth in April 2021
• 
  The chapel at Plymouth Marjon University as seen through trees.

Academic profile

Rankings

National rankings
Complete (2025)[12]	115
Times / Sunday Times (2025)[13]	75

Notable alumni

See also: Category:Alumni of Plymouth Marjon University

• Sharon Berry, founder of the Storybook Dads charity^[14]
• Bob Brunning, bass guitarist, founder member of Fleetwood Mac^[15]
• Joy Carroll, inspiration for The Vicar of Dibley^[16]
• Sir Lewis Casson, established the Actors' Association which became the British Actors' Equity Association.^[17]
• Tim Dakin, former Bishop of Winchester
• Helen Glover, London 2012 Olympic gold medal-winning rower and 2013 World Championship Gold Medal winner
• Harry Greenway, former Conservative MP for Ealing North
• Billy Hopkins, author of "Our Kid", and the sequel "High Hopes" chronicling his time as a trainee teacher in London^[18]
• Philip Kingsford, in 1912 held the best-ever triple jump record by an English-born athlete^[19]
• Gavin Love, basketball coach and former professional basketball player; all-time appearance leader for Plymouth Raiders
• Ernest Millington, Labour MP for Chelmsford 1945–50, and was the last surviving member of the House of Commons elected during the Second World War (he died in 2009).
• Ron Pickering, athletics coach and BBC sports commentator
• Paul Potts, English tenor. Winner of ITV's Britain's Got Talent 2007
• Henry Rawlingson Carr, Nigerian educationalist and administrator.
• Andrew Salkey, author, activist, poet, film and documentary maker
• Sir Frederick Wall, secretary of the Football Association, responsible for the purchase of the first Wembley Stadium
• Ian Whybrow, children's author.
• Anthony Willis, Paralympic games silver high jump and gold pentathlon winner.^[20]

See also

• Armorial of UK universities
• College of Education
• List of universities in the UK

References

1. "History". Plymouth Marjon University. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
2. "Where do HE students study?". Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
3. "University welcomes new Vice-Chancellor". Plymouth Marjon University. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
4. "College of St Mark and St John" (PDF). Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
5. Grant, Phoebe. "A historic former church in the heart of Chelsea". Town & Country.
6. Hartley, David; Whitehead, Maurice, eds. (2006). Teacher Education: Historical aspects of teacher education from 1905 to 1990. Routledge. p. 420. ISBN 9780415324243.
7. "Second London General Hospital". Lost Hospitals of London. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
8. "Papers of Sir James Phillips Kay-Shuttleworth". Archives Hub. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
9. Sheppard, Francis Henry Wollaston (1972). London, 1808-1870 The Infernal Wen. University of California Press. p. 232. ISBN 9780520018471.
10. Weinreb, Ben; Hibbert, Christopher (1983). "Old Battersea House". The London Encyclopaedia. Macmillan. p. 557.
11. Saint, Andrew (2013). Survey of London: Battersea, pt. 1. Public commercial and cultural. University of London. p. 212. ISBN 9780300196160.
12. "Complete University Guide 2025". The Complete University Guide. 14 May 2024.
13. "Good University Guide 2025". The Times. 20 September 2024.
14. "Starting new chapters". The Herald. Local World. 16 September 2008. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
15. Laing, Dave (28 October 2011). "Bob Brunning obituary". The Guardian. London.
16. "The real Vicar of Dibley gets her own TV role". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
17. "Spartacus Educational". Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
18. "In His Own Words". Retrieved 4 May 2023.
19. "SR Olympic Sports". Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
20. "Cover Story". Marjon Today. 6. 1999.

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