.
Samuel Johnson had rooms on the second floor above the entrance, as an undergraduate in 1728.]]
's desk, in Broadgates.]]
is one of the
Constituent Colleges of the
University Of Oxford in
England , located in
Pembroke Square .
The College was founded in 1624 using money given by
Thomas Tesdale and
Richard Wightwick . It was named after
William Herbert, 3rd Earl Of Pembroke , the patron of
William Shakespeare , who was Chancellor of the University at the time. The official founder was
King James I , and it is in his name that Pembroke students are permitted to wear silver
Tassel s in their caps (
Mortarboard s). Part of the College is situated in buildings formerly used by the mediæval Hall ''Broadgates''.
The main buildings of the College date mainly from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, and are built of
Cotswold Limestone . The Geoffrey Arthur Building (GAB), a modern annex built nearby on the banks of the
River Thames at
Grandpont , provides accommodation for almost a hundred undergraduates, usually those in their final year. It is named after former master of the college, the diplomat Sir Geoffrey Arthur (who was previously the Chairman of the
UK Joint Intelligence Committee ).
The Chapel (in Chapel Quad) was built in the 18th century, dramatically decorated in Continental Catholic style in the 19th century. It is unique in being dedicated by
Lord Runcie (sometime
Archbishop Of Canterbury ) in the name of a living college benefactor, Dr Damon Wells.
Samuel Johnson was one of the College's more famous alumni, though he did not complete his degree (he was later awarded an honorary degree by the University); lack of funds forced him to leave Oxford after about a year and a half. Two of his desks and various other possessions (his teapot, mug, and the like) are on display in the library and elsewhere in the college.
James Smithson , whose bequest founded the
Smithsonian Institution in
Washington, D.C. (despite him never having visited the
United States ) was an undergraduate at Pembroke, under the name "James Lewis Macie" — he changed his name to that of his natural father after the death of his mother. Meanwhile Senator
J. William Fulbright , who established the
Fulbright Fellowships , was a
Rhodes Scholar at Pembroke in the 1920s.
Although he had been an undergraduate at
Exeter College ,
J.R.R. Tolkien was a
Fellow of Pembroke from 1925 to 1945, and wrote ''
The Hobbit '' and the first two books of ''
The Lord Of The Rings '' during his time there.
Among the College's more recent Masters was
Roger Bannister , the first man to run the mile in under four minutes.
Pembroke was described by
John Betjeman , in ''Summoned by Bells'':
:How empty, creeper-grown and odd
:Seems lonely Pembroke's second quad
:Still, when I see it, do I wonder why
:That college so polite and shy
:Should have more character than Queen's
:Or Univ, splendid in the High.
Pembroke offers a broad range of courses, covering almost all the subject areas offered by the university. In particular, the college has had a strong involvement with . With an intake of eight students per year, Pembroke has more Economics & Management undergraduates than any other college, and has built a reputation as one of the strongest Colleges to study what is now the most competitive course for applicants to university.
The release of the 2006-2007
Norrington Table showed increasing more places than any other college, moving up from 23rd to 10th.
1
Pembroke is home to a
JCR (undergraduate community) notable for its artistic wealth and sporting prowess and an
MCR (graduate community) notable for its international composition and hedonistic flair. The JCR is the wealthiest in Oxford due to the purchase and sale of a
Francis Bacon painting in the early twentieth century (see below), and has used those funds to support a socially progressive student support scheme and an impressive artistic acquisition programme. The MCR is housed in a suite of historic rooms and is remarkable for its connections with a wide range of nations. Its current patron is
Lord (John) Kerr , former head of the
Foreign And Commonwealth Office and Ambassador to the
United States .
The college is also home to the Emery gallery and the JCR art fund, founded by the sale of a Francis Bacon painting for £400,000, which is empowered to make significant contemporary purchases for the college.
The college has a strong sporting reputation across the university. Recent years have seen the JCR achieve particular success at
Rugby , and
Cricket ,
Football ,
Hockey and
Darts . The MCR has been particularly strong at women's boxing,
Polo and cricket.
Pembroke College Boat Club is one of Oxford's strongest boat clubs, with the men's and women's boats currently sitting 2nd and 3rd on the river in
Summer Eights respectively. In 2003, Pembroke became the first college to win the "Double Headship Trophy" for having both men's and women's Eights head the river.
- King Abdullah II Of Jordan , current ruler of Jordan
- Francis Beaumont , playwright
- William Blackstone , jurist and barrister
- Edmund Bonner , bishop, known as 'Bloody Bonner'
- Thomas Browne , seventeenth-century author
- William Camden , antiquarian and historian
- Mary Creagh , Labour politician
- Julian Critchley , journalist and Conservative politician
- Denzil Davies , Labour politician
- Maria Eagle , Labour government minister
- J. William Fulbright , American Democrat Senator
- Charles Hawtrey (19th Century Actor)
- George Procter Hawtrey , actor and playwright
- Michael Heseltine , former Conservative Deputy Prime Minister and publisher
- Walter Isaacson , author and President and CEO of the Aspen Institute
- Roz Kaveney (as Andrew J. Kaveney), writer
- John Kerr, Baron Kerr Of Kinlochard , diplomat
- Philip Lader , former American Ambassador to the UK, businessman
- Richard G. Lugar , American Republican Senator
- Viktor Orbán , Hungarian Prime Minister 1998-2002
- John Pym , parliamentarian and critic of Charles I Of England
- Radek Sikorski , Polish politician
- James Smithson , mineralogist, benefactor of the Smithsonian Institution .
- John Snagge , BBC newsreader and commentator
- The Rt Revd Thomas Shaun Stanage, DD , Anglican Bishop in South Africa
- Honeysuckle Weeks , actress
- George Whitefield , leader of the Methodist movement in the eighteenth century
:See also .
''(The names of current members are followed by links to their College pages)''
