is one of the
Constituent Colleges of the
University Of Oxford in
England . Its predecessor had been an institution of learning since the late
Thirteenth Century , even though the current college was founded only in the
Eighteenth Century .
The buildings are diverse – especially in the main quad, to the right an imposing eighteenth century building in the , founded in 1283 and dissolved with the
Dissolution Of The Monasteries in about 1539.
After a lapse of twenty years, the buildings of the old
Gloucester College were used in the foundation of ''Gloucester Hall'', in around 1560. In 1714, thanks to a fortunate benefaction from a Worcestershire baronet,
Sir Thomas Cookes , Gloucester Hall was transformed into Worcester College. Even then, there were only sufficient funds to rebuild the Chapel, Hall and Library and the north side of the Front Quad, known as the Terrace. The designs were by Dr.
George Clarke , who had consulted
Nicholas Hawksmoor .
In 1736, Clarke (now Sir George) generously left to the College his great collection of books and manuscripts. These included the papers of his father
William Clarke (which are of crucial importance for the history of
England during the period of the
Commonwealth and
Protectorate ) and a large proportion of the surviving drawings of
Inigo Jones .
Owing to lack of funds, Worcester's eighteenth century building programme proceeded by fits and starts. The west end of the Terrace and the Provost's Lodgings were added in 1773-6 (architect:
Henry Keene ). The mediæval cottages were to have been replaced by a further classical range, but survived because money for this purpose was never available; the Hall and Chapel, by
James Wyatt , were not completed until the 1770s.
In more recent years several new residential blocks for undergraduates and graduates have been added, thanks in part to a series of generous benefactions. The latest of these include the Earl building, Sainsbury Building (which won the Civic Trust Award in 1984), Linbury Building, Canal Building and Ruskin Lane Building (under construction - opening October 2007) (for undergraduates), and the Franks Building (for graduates).
A modern addition to Worcester College, the Canal Building sits next to the north entrance to the college and, as the name suggests, besides the
Oxford Canal . It houses fifty students in large en-suite single rooms. The accommodation is usually reserved for third and fourth year undergraduates.
The College Chapel was built in the eighteeth century. Dr George Clarke, Henry Keene and James Wyatt were responsible for different stages of its lengthy construction (1720-91), owing to shortage of funds. The interior columns and pilasters, the dome and the delicate foliage plastering are all Wyatt's work. His classical interior was insufficiently emphatic for the tastes of militant Victorian churchmen, and between 1864 and 1866 the chapel was redecorated by
William Burges . It is highly unusual and decorative; being predominantly pink, the pews are decorated with carved animals, including kangaroos and whales, and the walls are riotously colourful, and include frescoes of dodos and peacocks. Its
Stained Glass windows were to have been designed by
John Everett Millais , but Burges rejected his designs and entrusted the work to
Henry Holiday . Oscar Wilde said of the Chapel, 'As a piece of simple decorative and beautiful art it is perfect, and the windows very artistic.'
The Chapel Choir is augmented by 12 boy choristers who attend
Christ Church Cathedral Choir School
Burges also started the redecoration of the Hall in 1877, but the work remained uncompleted at his death, and, in the early 1970s, Wyatt's designs were restored.
1.
Although Worcester is near the centre of Oxford today, it was on the edge of the city in the eighteenth century. This has been an asset in the long run, since it has allowed the College to retain very extensive gardens (26 acres, including a lake). One important advantage of these gardens is that Worcester can provide
Playing Field s for all the usual games within its own grounds.
- Oxford students know Worcester best for its Ball. Every three years a thousand ball-goers enjoy the Worcester College Commemoration Ball on College grounds. Held in June, it lasts from 6pm until 6 am and the dress code is White Tie . Recent Worcester Balls have made sizeable donations to local charities.
- The College grace is recited by a scholar, or student studying a field related to Literae Humaniores , before Formal Hall every night (except Saturdays, when there is no Formal Hall). The text is the same as that recited at Christ Church but, in comparison, always given in the long form:
"Nōs miserī hominēs et egēnī, prō cibīs quōs nōbis ad corporis subsidium benignē es largītus, tibi, Deus omnipotēns, Pater cælestis, grātiās reverenter agimus; simul obsecrantēs, ut iīs sobriē, modestē atque grātē ūtāmur. Īnsuper petimus, ut cibum angelōrum, vērum panem cælestem, verbum Deī æternem, Dominum nostrum Iēsum Christum, nōbis impertiāris; utque illō mēns nostra pascātur et per carnem et sanguinem eius fovēāmur, alāmur, et corrōborēmur. Amen."
- In the mid-1960s, postgraduate philosophy student Daniel C. Dennett threw what he claims to have been the U.K.'s first frisbee, in the College's grounds.
Dennett interview Frisbee games are now explicitly banned in the College gardens.
:See also .
