Bishop Otter Teacher Training College Established

1840

Bishop Otter College was founded in 1840 as a teacher training institution, named after William Otter, Bishop of Chichester from 1836 to 1840, who was instrumental in its creation. The college was established to provide trained teachers for Church of England schools, meeting a growing national demand for elementary education. The original buildings were on College Lane in the city centre, and the college grew through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, adding new buildings and expanding its curriculum. The college trained thousands of teachers who went on to serve in schools across Sussex and beyond. In 1977, Bishop Otter College merged with Bognor Regis College of Education to form the West Sussex Institute of Higher Education, which in turn became the University of Chichester in 2005. The Bishop Otter campus remains in use as one of the university's two main sites, situated on College Lane just west of the city centre. The transition from a small denominational teacher training college to a full university has been the most significant institutional development in Chichester's recent history. The university brings students, academic staff, and cultural activity to the city, and its campus is a significant presence in the western part of the centre. The Bishop Otter name is preserved in the campus designation and in local memory. The university now offers a full range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, though teacher training remains one of its strengths.