Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth, the owner of the Old Warden Estate in Bedfordshire, England was killed in 1940 while serving with the Royal Air Force.

He had a keen interest in farming and estate management; after his death, his mother Dorothy Clotilda Shuttleworth established a trust[2] in his memory.

The college enrolled its first students in 1946 and soon established its place as a national centre for agricultural education.

The existing buildings at Old Warden Park provided teaching and residential facilities in the early years of the college.

Subject areas include: There are also short courses and tailor-made corporate training programmes.