Welcome to the Seale-Hayne web site.

News from Ray Bartlett, Chairman, 2021

Since my letter at this time last year, despite restrictions of the ‘Dreaded Lurgy’ – a term borrowed from the Goon show, older members will recall, we have restarted our archive research, but have had to postpone our AGM. Last year I mentioned how sorry we were to see Hannahs leave but we must move on to the next phase.

Seale-Hayne is now owned by European Land Group, (ELG) a property developer with premises in the UK and Europe. Seale-Hayne is being marketed as a “Business Campus”, all available rooms are being let to small businesses.  I believe there are now more than 50 of them renting at College. The former Refectory has been sub-divided and three companies are in situ, including a gymnasium. The former Ian Moore Students Union building is likewise being sub-divided to accommodate a Montessori school. Hayter-Hames was fully let in Hannahs days and this continues. Unfortunately, the Science Block deteriorated dreadfully in Hannahs days and is now nothing more than a shell, but the good news is ELG are re-roofing it to start again.Both the former Zoology building and the New Library are fully let. Perhaps appropriately, the former Chapel is rented by a company providing ashes scattering ceremonies.

I allow myself a few moments of mourning for the former days of these buildings but then am very thankful they are being renovated. ELG have a considerable task to restore the fabric of our beloved alma mater. The new owner has a reputation of respecting historic buildings and is already demonstrating this. Much interior redecorating has been completed in the quadrangle but the real task is outside. Repainting of South Block started last year and has progressed throughout this summer. It is a joy to see it slowly returning to its former appearance but painting outside will cease during the winter months.

The proprietor is very genial and accommodating and has kindly allowed us to keep our artefacts on the book shelves in the Old Library Heritage Room. After several ‘lock-down months’ our small team restarted archive work in late May to re-sort the shelves and withdraw duplicate books. Several boxes of foolscap documents from 1919 to 1943 were discovered when Hannahs left and these have been set in ring binders and are being categorised. Some fascinating information is emerging. But there are still years of work ahead.

The Old Library Heritage room is kept locked, but the premises manager has kindly offered to open it for viewing by visiting Seale Haynians during weekdays if they contact him when they arrive. A contact telephone number is on the door to the reception room in the archway. But be patient if there is a wait, he may be engaged elsewhere.  There is a visitor’s book outside the Library door and 17 visiting alumni names are recorded during the last 12 months. All express their joy at revisiting.

The six benches in the quad, three of them originally sponsored by the “Old Seale-Haynians” had become very grey and overgrown with lichen and the owner was delighted when I offered we could restore them. They have now all been sanded and wood preservative applied. They look so much better and we have received many compliments.

Our centenary reunion planned for October 2021 was postponed once again due to doubts about the lingering pandemic. It is now going ahead on October 15^th 2022. Mark this date in your diary please. More details here.

The Seale-Haynians Club membership is free of charge and numbers are still increasing. We gather names from the visitor’s book (mentioned above), alumni/ae contacting us via our website and various other word-of-mouth contacts, increasingly too, from Facebook. But The Seale-Haynian magazine subscriptions (optional) are fewer because members forget to renew when their ten-year Standing Order payment expires. Many do renew but constant reminding becomes a bit tedious for our editor, Igg (Ian Goodwin). It costs only £6:00 a year and Igg puts together a very interesting publication.

Our committee is very active but we lack representation from the 1990’s. Ideally members need to be living in the near Southwest because of the need to attend meetings. That said, many alumni/ae live in the Southwest. We hold around three main committee meetings a year, an AGM and a Christmas short meeting followed by a meal at the Halfway Inn. Please contact us via this website if you would like to become a committee member.

I would like to take this opportunity to draw to your attention the section on this website of “Merchandise”. There you will see advertised a book written and edited by our President, Prof Fred Harper, entitled Outstanding Seale-Haynians. The book records the achievements of a number of alumni/ae since the college opened in 1920. As one review stated “This book provides compelling reading for all those with an interest in Seale-Hayne and the history of the agricultural and related industries”. It can be ordered via our website and costs £12 only including post and packaging.

Finally, I always mention that we all owe a tremendous amount to Seale-Hayne. Remarks in the referred to visitor’s book and on our website from alumni/ae state “they were some of the happiest days of our lives”. One remark simply stated “Home”. We made friends who have remained so for the rest of our lives. Moreover, the agricultural Industry owes much to Seale-Hayne; it was an agricultural college with a reputation second to none. Alumni travelled to many parts of the world, especially underdeveloped countries, contributing their developing expertise to agriculture.

That our college was closed was an utter disgrace but the legacy cannot be destroyed. Any of you involved with journalism, even if just writing to your parish magazine and where appropriate, please refer to Seale-Hayne and the significant contribution it made to agriculture both here and many parts of the world. We, The Seale-Haynians Club Committee are planning a very memorable Centenary Celebration for October 15^th. We hope to see many of you then.

With very best wishes,

Raymond Bartlett, Chairman, the Seale-Haynains

Seale-Hayne Neurasthenic Hospital – First World War