Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College


The West Surrey College of Art and Design merged with Epsom School of Art and Design to become the Surrey Institute of Art & Design, . 'SIAD' was a leading art college in the United Kingdom. It merged with the Kent Institute of Art & Design on August 1, 2005 to form the University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham and Rochester, now the University for the Creative Arts.

Evolution

The Farnham School of Art was founded in 1866. The Guildford School of Art followed in 1870. The two conjoined to become the West Surrey College of Art and Design in 1969. Epsom School of Art and Design was founded in 1893 as Epsom and Ewell Technical Institute and School of Art which later split into a separate Technical Institute and art school sometime before World War II. A new purpose built site was opened in Heathcote Road on Thursday 26 April 1973.
In 1994 there was a merger between and the West Surrey College of Art and Design and Epsom School of Art and Design, with the combined institution renamed the Surrey Institute of Art & Design a year later. These two former colleges formed the basis for the two main campuses of the school. In 1999, the college was granted university college status and took on its last name.
Until its 2005 merger it was the second largest specialist art and design institution in the country with the largest being the University of the Arts, London. A 3,500 yearly student intake was reached during its final years. As with that institution and the more restricted, typically established professional intake to the Royal College of Art, Surrey Institute gained degree-awarding powers independent of a university. As such it was degree validating partner to The Arts Institute at Bournemouth.
UCA has now sold the Maidstone campus at Oakwood Park to MidKent college and has completely withdrawn from the location. However the University still also either validates or provides courses at Maidstone Studios and the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace.

Notable alumni