Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford

History

There has been a theological college at Cuddesdon for over 160 years. Cuddesdon College was established in 1854 by Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, whose vision was for a college independent of any specific Church faction, and with a focus on the discipline of daily prayer and spiritual formation. A merger with Ripon Hall in the 1970s, forming Ripon College Cuddesdon, brought in new resources and fresh thinking, and helped develop a new and open approach to theological study.

The incorporation of the Oxford Ministry Course in 2006 (now the Part-time Pathway of Ripon College Cuddesdon), the West of England Ministerial Training Course in 2011 (now renamed Cuddesdon Gloucester & Hereford) and the Portsmouth Pathway Cuddesdon in 2015 has enabled the College to offer a wide range of outstanding part-time courses that have been well established for over forty years. 

Other facilities

• The Retreat Centre

The Retreat Centre has 14 bedrooms in total - 13 single en-suite rooms plus one double fully-accessible bedroom with a wet-room bathroom - arranged over 3 floors served by a lift. On the top floor, with magnificent views, there is the Clewer Room with a conference table for informal meetings or simply to provide a comfortable space to relax and read. There is also a kitchen for self-catering, and a small library with a range of books which guests are welcome to borrow for their stay.

If groups require more bedrooms or a more formal meeting room, there is a range of facilities available to use in the College which can accommodate up to 45 residential guests, and meeting rooms for up to 80 people.

• Retreats and Quiet Days

A stay with them could be time that you take for yourself to think, to read, to feel, to pray, to take stock, and to deepen your relationship with God. There are comfortable places to sit quietly, libraries from which  to borrow books from, chapels for prayer, gardens to roam, communal places to meet others, and wonderful walks in the grounds and the countryside beyond.

There is also a programme of guided retreats and quiet days, open to all, so that you can be part of a group. They  welcome other organisations hosting their own retreats, meetings or conferences to make use of the facilities.