This is a fantastic venue in beautiful surroundings! Both the course (Tapestry) and the Tutor (Caron Penney) were excellent. The food was very good and the staff were helpful and professional. It was easy to get to on public transport (number 60 bus from Chichester), even on a Sunday, when buses are hourly.

A fantastic location and highly evocative interior. Service friendly and efficient - food fresh and delicious - well stocked bar. Don't miss the outdoor heated swimming pool.

Really nice and interesting place to visit. Good, clean accommodation and food & drink available here. This is mainly for students staying here for courses but anyone can stay here, you just book on their website. This is not a hotel or a B & B so you don't get that kind of service but it's a good alternative - the main attraction is the beauty of the place, the fine gardens and countryside etc. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area, there's a very good cafe in the grounds too.

I spent a week at West Dean Summer School studying ceramics. It was a wonderful experience with top quality tutors, beautiful surroundings in the house itself and in the gardens and parkland. The quality of the food was the very best and I learned an enormous amount in such a short time. I don’t think there can be a better place to study creative subjects.

This was a dream stay, beautiful, spotless en-suite room overlooking the sheep and fields. I could not fault this, it was like staying in a top class 5 star hotel, in fact some 5 star hotels could take a leaf out of your book!! Food was exceptional, and the meals were varied and well thought out. Everyone from receptionist to catering to the quality of the tuition was perfect. Would stay there again in a heartbeat. Beautiful surroundings, peaceful and memorable. Thank you. See you again soon.

Wonderful place with wonderful facilities. Excellent high standard tutors. Attending a course at this college has been my hearts desire for many years. I was not disappointed!incredible service. A young lady greeted me and carried my 2 bags to my room . Delicious food, warm cosy room with bathroom. Delightful experience! The short course I attended was extremely well planned, excellent and inspiring teacher who enabled everyone to produce powerful work.

Springtime at Westdene is so beautiful, the gardens, the grounds, the arboretum are wonderful to wander through. I felt really taken care of and Tracey Bush runs an inspiring course.

I acquired a new embroidery skill whilst spending time in a beautiful location. Our tutor Rob was extremely knowledgable, approachable and friendly.

Been many times on various courses all wood related, had 2 days worth of learning to make a Sussex Trug, learnt many small details, which made the process much easier. Many thanks to Dominic Parrette for his patience and attention to detail.

What a fabulous place. My first visit but I will be back. I am new to painting but did the Beginners Sketchbook course and loved it - The tutor, Kate Boucher, was fantastic. The building is beautiful and the staff couldn't be more helpful. Especially in the restaurant. The food is lovely and I had the best chocolate brownie ever. Can't wait to return. As a user of a mobility scooter, I found the building really accessible. The art room is on the first floor and has a chair lift up the stairs.

I attended one or the colleges short day courses on 4th July 2022 with Carol Grey on Stained Glass, It was a really excellent class and Carol Grey was a first class tutor, very attentive to everyone in the class and made sure we all made our stained glass panel to perfection. Carol had us all practicing glass cutting safely and each stage was clearly explained. I really enjoyed the day and the college experience & facilities inside the house was fantastic and I am currently looking into coming on another course.

The whole experience was great, from the friendly welcome and to the course itself, particularly the tutor, Richard Walker, who made the day so enjoyable. Plus, I hadn't expected West Dean's facilities to be as wonderful as they were — everywhere was clean, with modern functioning technologies that only bought ease and comfort to the day, none of which consumed the building's charm, just simply appreciated. And the catering was incredible; not once have I been on a course that catered with so much quality and choice.

Had an excellent short residential course. The tutor, Anne Kelly was knowledgeable and informative. The college provides excellent facilities and beautiful grounds. The food is varied and tasty. My room was lovely and comfortable. Can’t wait for another visit.

It was my second time of attending West Dean. The tutors and staff are amazing, so chilled yet very attentive. The food I had was excellent and my bedroom was heaven. It's the most wonderful place to be totally immersed in your surroundings and without distraction, enjoy learning new skills. I would go time and time again, 3 days away can be life changing!

I attended a three day pottery course taught by the very patient, helpful and knowledgable Alison Sandeman. The accommodation was lovely, the food fabulous and my classmates were great fun. I learned so much more than I thought possible. Absolutely loved it.

I had an excellent experience at West Dean College and the setting is beautiful. Waking up each morning and viewing grazing sheep in the distance is a memory I’ll never forget. Staff and other students were friendly over the weekend course. The tutor is a leader in her field and was very approachable, helpful and knowledgeable. I thoroughly enjoyed the course. I went home confident that I could develop the skills learnt further and longing to return again.

I can't recommend West Dean highly enough. The two art courses I've been on were excellent with first class tutors. The gardens are stunning, the food good, friendly staff who give WD a very special atmosphere. Can't wait to return.

The best online and in-person courses I have ever been to. The friendly atmosphere, the professional tutors and the simple booking process guarantee an outstanding learning experience. The college itself is a stunning place full of inspiration, the rooms are calm and clean, the dinner is very good and the small art supply shop has everything an art student might need during a course. Thank you for everything!

Beautiful surroundings, and an excellent course and tutor. Fabulous room (119) at the front of the main house with a view over the front lawn and fields. Wooden shutters and everything! Clean with a huge shower, in fact the room was easily big enough to live in! The food is served in the refectory and is outstanding. I believe it is partially sourced from the Gardens. I liked the long tables as it allowed me to sit with the members of my course which was great for integration and chit chat. Having the grounds to wander around when the gardens closed to the public was a real treat and was the main reason for me staying. The early morning pre-breakfast stroll on Saturday morning was a joy and so good for the soul. A late night jaunt on the Friday was rewarded by a great display of bat antics! A gentle warning regarding the accommodation. If you fancy staying in the main house, West Dean does host wedding receptions on the front lawn. If you don't like noise (the music stops at 11pm), are a light sleeper or just want to have a peaceful weekend go for a rear room in the main house, one of the Pods, an AirBnb outside the grounds or drive. Best ask them if a reception is arranged when booking, or check if you've already booked to see if you can move room if this sounds like you :)

Absolutely wonderful! Had an amazing experience in this magical place. This is like a castle, and our room was awesome. It feels like being living hundreds years ago. Additionally, a wonderful forest is surrounding this place. You can have amazing walks through this forest. I completely recommend knowing this place. I loved it!

What a wonderful place! Creative, inspirational, welcoming and friendly The courses are exciting and the tutor for our course (Lyndsey Mann working with aluminium) was exceptionally knowledgeable, helpful and encouraging You learn so much and come away fully prepared to spread your wings!

Fabulous arts college. Excellent tutors. Wonderful to stay on site and get away from it all. I’ve done 6 courses now and the standard is brilliant. It’s really fun to spend time with like minded people in a beautiful setting

I just spent a weekend at West Dean on a short course learning to draw. The venue is a beautiful historic house set in extensive gardens. Everything about the course exceeded my expectations: my room, the food, the ambience, the tuition and the other participants. Nothing was too much trouble for the West Dean staff. Thank you!

Teaching facilities are good. Food is better than last year. Some sort of smelly polish was used in my room that required me to air it before bedtime. First time in the 6 years I have been going to West Dean that I have made this complaint.

Beautiful house set in lovely gardens now operating as a college. The college offers short courses mainly in creative skills. I haven’t had direct experience but people I know who have attended speak very highly of them. The college also offers accommodation and dining separate to the training courses. The surrounding gardens are quite stunning and can be visited separately by paying an entrance fee - see reviews of West Dean Gardens.

It is a great treat to take a short course at West Dean College. In stunning surroundings and with delicious food, the excellent course tutors increase one's skills in so many fascinating subjects. Highly recommended.

My online course was excellent. Beautifully paced with enjoyable assignments. Just challenging enough with scope to do your own thing. Having six weeks access to the course made it easy to fit the work into a busy schedule.

Attended a brilliant chair caning course with tutor Rachael South. The venue is a gorgeous mansion house set in wonderful grounds. Everyone was very welcoming. I didn't stay in the house but I was told the rooms were great. Food was also good.