INTEGRATING FAITH AND PRACTICE
At Waverley Abbey College, we believe that when faith and practice come together, lives change. Our calling is to equip and empower a rising generation of counsellors and chaplains with practical, relevant, and high‑quality training, forming people who can bring hope, healing, and transformation to their communities and to the wider world.
We live in a moment of profound need. Across our nation and globally, people are searching for meaning, stability, and someone who will walk with them through the complexities of real life. We believe the Church is uniquely placed to respond and that Christians who are deeply rooted in their faith and professionally trained in their practice can make an extraordinary difference. That’s why more students than ever are choosing to study with us.
Our programmes in counselling and chaplaincy are shaped for those who sense a call to serve, to listen, to guide, and to stand alongside others. We know that genuine transformation requires more than good intentions; it requires wisdom, skill, integrity, and a commitment to lifelong growth.
Our vision is bold: to see a Waverley Abbey College‑trained counsellor in every UK church, and a Waverley Abbey College-trained chaplain in every secondary school. Essentially, our aim is to see men and women engage with their communities by carrying God’s heart into the places where it is most needed.
Whether you are discerning a new direction or seeking to deepen your existing practice, this prospectus will help you explore what we offer and discover whether Waverley Abbey College is the right place for your next step.
We’re delighted to journey with you.
Revd. Dr. Caleb Nyanni-PhD, SFHEA
Principal
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
OUR HISTORY
ANCIENT SPARK
NEW FIRES
Founded as a Christian college in 1987, Waverley Abbey College stands within millennia of prayer, mission, and justice.
This isn’t just about looking backwards, although historically Waverley Abbey is a place of extraordinary prayer. This is about the future – a new abbey for a new generation. Our vision for this site is to revive the heart of the abbey by establishing here a house of prayer for all nations, a new Christian university and a hive of gospel endeavour.
Pete Greig, Founder of 24-7 Prayer and Director at Waverley Abbey
The land has a history of Christian prayer dating back almost 1,300 years, to 688 AD, when the King of Wessex granted land to a small monastic community. Then in 1128 AD, Waverley Abbey became the first Cistercian monastery in Britain, founded by monks from L'Aumône, France. For nearly 400 years, life at Waverley Abbey was shaped by worship, hard work, and care for others.
Pilgrims and travellers were welcomed, and the sick were treated at an on-site infirmary. The abbey was a place of healing and prayer. Yet, by the early sixteenth century, the monastery was in decline. In 1537, the abbey was shut down during Henry VIII's dissolution of Catholic monasteries.
In the years that followed, the abbey fell into disrepair.
The construction of Waverley Abbey House
With the abbey abandoned, many of its stones were repurposed to build houses nearby and, in 1723, to create a Georgian manor house built within the original abbey precinct — Waverley Abbey House.
Sold to George Nicholson in 1832, brother-in-law of Florence Nightingale, the house welcomed notable guests, including Nightingale and Sir Walter Scott, whose Waverley novels take their name from the site. During the First World War, the house was converted into a military hospital, treating over 5,000 soldiers. Later, it served as a residential nursing home, providing care for the elderly.
Across the centuries, the site has served the needs of the vulnerable — through care and healing.
In 1965, Selwyn Hughes — well known through his devotional Every Day with Jesus — founded CWR with a vision for deep, lasting Christian renewal. His vision was woven together by three strands: daily discipleship, inner healing, and Christlike service.
In 1983, CWR purchased the Waverley Abbey House estate and began its careful restoration, establishing the site once again as a centre of Christian prayer, publishing, retreat, and learning.
Waverley Abbey College
After several years of refurbishment and preparation, the College was formally launched in 1987, welcoming its first students. Over the following decades, it grew steadily in both scale and scope. It became a pioneer in Christian counselling education, developing the Waverley Integrative Framework that grounds psychological insight within a Christian worldview.
In 2009, the College reached a major milestone when its counselling courses became fully university-validated degree programmes.
Still burning
The Holy Spirit has always been active here.
In 2023, 24-7 Prayer and CWR came together to form the Waverley Abbey Trust, renewing the site again as a centre of prayer, mission, and justice for a new generation. From an ancient spark of prayer and witness, the Spirit continues to kindle new fires, starting new things, changing lives, and impacting the world.
Today, Waverley Abbey College stands as one of the largest providers of Christian counselling qualifications in Europe and the leading provider of chaplaincy training in the UK.