Historic property near Banbury saved as a US uni allaying fears it would become a Russian boarding school

Wroxton Abbey, a Grade I listed Jacobean house built on the foundations of a 13th century Augustinian priory, was once home to Prime Minister Lord North. It has been a British college for American students of Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) since 1965.

A group of former students who created a buyout proposal have succeeded, with FDU announcing it has entered a ‘preliminary agreement’ to transfer ownership of the abbey to them.

The alumni contacted the Banbury Guardian in February saying they were concerned FDU was negotiating with a prospective Georgian buyer who wanted to convert the property, set in 56 acres, into a boarding school for 100 Russian boys.

This week, FDU said the transfer would allow preservation of the ‘rich academic program and transformational study-abroad experience that has benefitted thousands of students in the last 60 years’.

The news was announced by FDU President Michael Avaltroni who said the FDU is working collaboratively with the alumni group toward a binding agreement.

"Under the planned arrangements, the University will continue operating the academic programme through to May 2026 while the new team can finalise plans to assume all responsibilities for Wroxton beginning at that time,” he said.

“We are confident the future of Wroxton College will be in good hands with a team committed to preserving its legacy while developing an even more successful program for generations to come.”

The president added that once the final agreement is concluded and the transition is complete FDU will remain closely connected to Wroxton and that students will still have the opportunity to study at the college.

He said the partnership demonstrates ‘the incredible commitment and passion of our alumni and offers critical benefits for FDU and Wroxton College’.

These include FDU and its students continuing to have access to the college and its programmes a similar manner, alumni would have an influential role in shaping the future of the college, Wroxton College’s faculty and staff would remain in place and the University would gain financial relief that can help strengthen the institution.

Alumni members of the Wroxton Advisory Committee who have led the negotiations thanked FDU and expressed their commitment to building a strong future for Wroxton College.

“We are deeply grateful to FDU for its stewardship of Wroxton over the past six decades and for working collaboratively with us to help structure an arrangement that, when finalised, will secure Wroxton’s future,” said Kenneth Malagiere, chair of the Wroxton Advisory Committee.

Supporter and alumnus Lakshman Achuthan added, “As Wroxton embarks on this next chapter, its mission will remain rooted in the values that have long defined its impact: preserving the unique educational experience shaped by Wroxton Abbey and its grounds, fostering a close-knit, intellectually vibrant community and expanding access to immersive global learning.”

• More than 7,000 students from FDU and other colleges have studied and lived at this former estate of Lord North, the prime minister during the American Revolution. The Wroxton Experience has featured classroom instruction in the British tutorial method, knowledgeable British faculty and acclaimed guest speakers, entertaining social activities and visits to cultural and political centres in Great Britain and beyond, FDU said.