Goodbye to that College in Didsbury part 6 .......another wall plaque to the Rev Archibald Walter Harrison

As the last few months of the College at Didsbury tick away and all things are made ready for the shift to Hulme I am back with one of those bits of its history that has spent the last 70 or so years on a wall.

It reminds us that college began as theological training centre  from 1842 till 1942 and included in this story is the Rev Archibald Walter Harrison.

He was at his death the President of the Methodist Conference and had a long record in the service of the Wesleyan faith.

Born in 1882, he trained for the ministry at Didsbury where he studied for three years “completing his B.Sc degree and passing the Intermediate examination in Divinity before becoming Assistant Tutor.”*

From there he moved across the country as a minister, wrote extensively on church history, was awarded the Military Cross in the Great War, and was variously Vice Principal and then Principal of the Westminster Training College from 1921-1940.

“Methodism was in his bones and in his blood; he understood its peculiar genius, loved its hymnology, served it with splendid loyalty and gave his life to serve it to the uttermost.”**

So I am just left wondering when the wooden plaque was placed in the library and if the Manchester Education Committee made a contribution.

In the meantime it is a nice reminder of the long history of college and thanks again to Pierre for sending it to me.

* W F Howard, Wesleyan Historical Studies, 1946

**ibid, W F Howard

Picture; of the plaque, courtesy of Pierre Grace 
Didsbury, Didsbury College of Education, Goodbye to that College in Didsbury, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester Polytechnic, My Manchester, Rev Archibald Walter Harrison