St. Mary's University

In a picturesque setting by the River Thames, a quaint cottage lay ensconced in a modest 2-3 acres of land. This was the Strawberry Hill House, a once humble abode that would later transform into the regal campus of St. Mary's University. One fine day sometime around 1747, Horace Walpole, son of the esteemed politician Robert Walpole, happened to pass by and instantly became smitten by the simplicity of the cottage. Before he knew it, he had already rented the property and soon took complete ownership.

Being an out-of-the-box thinker, Walpole had a vision for this humble abode. He chose not to tow the line of the 18th-century trend of classical architecture. Instead, his muse were the medieval styles, which he replicated in what would come to be known as the "Strawberry Hill Gothic" style of architecture. This was perhaps an early example of neo-Gothic architecture admired and imitated by his contemporaries.

However, with the advent of the 20th century, the Strawberry Hill House bore the brunt of time and fell into a dilapidated state. Through the collective efforts of the Strawberry Hill Trust, English Heritage, a £4.6 million donation from the Heritage Lottery Fund and an investment of £1.4M from St Mary's, the historic structure was salvaged. The restoration began in 2008 and was opened to the public by 2010.

A walk around the lush campus will take you past the porter's lodge and lead you to an "incongruous Walpole survival without its protective vegetation," as Bridget Cherry and Sir Nikolaus Pevsner described. Designed in 1772 by John Chute, the Grade I listed Chapel in the Wood embodies the old-world charm of the university.

The inception of St Mary's dates back to 1850 when Cardinal Wiseman bought a girls' school at Brook Green House in Hammersmith. This building was soon adapted into a college for training Catholic schoolmasters that could accommodate 40 students. The college expanded over the years and welcomed lay students by the 1850s. However, attempts to establish a British Catholic University in 1873 did not come to fruition and was closed in 1882.

In 1899, under the stewardship of the fourth principal, Father William Byrne CM, St Mary's association with the Congregation of the Mission, or the Vincentians, began. The college went through a period of great expansion and reform, facilitated by the Catholic Education Council. In cooperation with University College London, St Mary's started providing degree courses in 1930 and became a constituent college of the University of London Institute of Education by 1949. By 1992, however, the college's association with the Vincentians ended as Arthur Naylor became the first lay Principal of the college.

St Mary's made a significant leap in 2006 when it received the power to award its degrees. Never standing still, it established partnerships with universities worldwide. In 2010, the university had the honour of hosting Pope Benedict XVI. By 2014, St Mary's was granted full university status, and five years later, it took over the ecclesiastical Faculties of Philosophy and Theology from the Heythrop College, renaming it as the Mater Ecclesiae College.

The university today boasts of diverse partnerships and holds sports in high regard, having sent multiple athletes for the Olympics and Paralympics. Their pride includes a quadruple gold winner David Weir and alumnus Mo Farah. For Indian parents and students looking for a holistic study abroad experience, St Mary's University offers a historical charm blended with modern academic excellence and global affiliations. Indeed, a university that began from a small cottage and grew into a renowned institution is a testament to the potential that lies in a small beginning and resonates with every student's journey to success.