A Little History of New College

All of my information is from the New College website and can be found at http://www.new.ox.ac.uk/index.php

Officially titled “the New College of St. Mary,” New College was founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham. William of Wykeham (ca 1320-1404) was Bishop of Winchester and served as Chancellor of England. Basically he was the prime minister of the time. He felt that the young men of the day could not represent the church and state as he had and he built New College to educate humble and talented young men for this purpose. At the time this was highly necessary as the recent black plague had struck the area hard and was particularly hard on the clergy. He chose the site as a way of ridding the city of the prostitute service that had given the area a bad reputation. With the idea and a site to begin it on Richard II gave him a guarantee that this college could be built without problems.

New College, like most Oxford colleges, was a religious foundation. The Chapel remains a focal point in the lives of many of its members, both spiritually and musically. The chapel choir has an international reputation. During term there is a full Choral service every night except Wednesday and the weekend services attract many outside visitors. The tradition of this choir goes back to the founding of the college and today the choir is internationally recognized. The Choir became a crucial part of the BBC’s religious programming during the Second War. They did regular broadcasts from the College Chapel and became a symbol for excellence within the domain of sacred music, a role it has continued to play within the nation’s life.

When founded, the College was new in several ways. It was the first college for undergraduates. It was the first college in which the senior members had tutorial responsibility for undergraduates. And it was the first college to be designed around the now familiar quadrangle plan. The front quadrangle, dining hall, chapel and cloisters were built within a few years of the College's foundation. 

Over time some reconstruction and much new building has taken place. In the 19th century there was an expansion of rooms for undergraduate students, and in the 1960s a new building for graduate students was added to the main site. More recently, the original Morris Garages, which are within the College's perimeter, have been converted to provide attractive undergraduate accommodation. In 1995 a new residential building for graduates was opened on the Sports Ground site, five minutes walk from the main College.

For the first century, it lived up to its founder's hopes, producing excellent scholars, and several bishops and archbishops. The college survived the Reformation, but with the intellectual heart taken out of it, and until the middle of the 19th century produced not much more than a long succession of comfortable country parsons. In 1850, there were barely twenty undergraduates in residence. Quickly however, the college reacted to the reforms of the 1850s by expanding in size, raising intellectual standards, and matching reform-minded Balliol for willingness to imagine a different world. By 1873, there were 275 undergraduates on the books. By the First World War, New College was one of the top three or four colleges academically. In the First World War, this reputation took its toll as New College lost more members killed in action than any college but Christ Church.

Like all Oxford colleges New College is an autonomous, self-governing institution. The governing body consists of the Warden (the head of the College) and Fellows as well as representative undergraduate and graduate students represented. Most Fellows of the College are both College Tutors and University Lecturers in the subjects that are taught here.

There are currently 400 undergraduate and 200 graduate students studying at New College. There is a great sense of community within the College walls, with students making friends across subjects and year groups. Unlike many colleges in Oxford most students at New College actually live within the college walls. 

Because of this college life becomes a big part of their University experience. Most students in New College live, work, eat, and socialize inside the college. All undergraduates are members of the Junior Common Room (JCR), and graduates members of the Middle Common Room (MCR). Committees elected each year by their students run the JCR and MCR. These committees are responsible for looking after the JCR facilities, organizing social events, and communicating the views and needs of the students to the governing body of the College. The JCR is also the route by which the students keep in touch with the University Students Union and the National Union of Students. Regular JCR meetings give all undergraduates the opportunity to express their views and concerns on life in the College.

New College is fortunate also has its own sports ground and pavilion five minutes’ walk away from the main College site There are fields for rugby, football (soccer), hockey, netball (similar to basketball) and basketball. In the summer there is a cricket field and grass and hard courts for tennis. The sports pavilion is home to two squash courts, changing room facilities and bar. The College also owns a boathouse on the banks of the Thames, along with a number of College punts, which are available for student use in the summer term. During warmer weather there are also magnificent gardens to relax and study in.