St Chad's College, Durham
St Chad's College is one of the recognised colleges of Durham University. Founded in 1904 as St Chad's Hall for the training of Church of England clergy, the college ceased theological training in 1971 and now accommodates students studying the full range of Durham University courses. Its members are termed "Chadsians" and it is the smallest Durham college by number of undergraduates, but has extensive college library facilities and among the highest level of academic performance.
The college's main site is on the Bailey, occupying historic Georgian buildings at the east end of Durham Cathedral. It neighbours Hatfield College to its north, while St John's College and St Cuthbert's Society are to its south. The college is named after Saint Chad, a seventh-century Anglo-Saxon bishop known for spreading Christianity in the Mercian kingdom.
Although Durham students study their degree centrally with the university, St Chad's runs its own collegiate studies and tutor system. College societies include the St Chad's College Boat Club, theatre company Green Door Productions, and the music society Chad's Music.
Gowns are worn by students for formal dining, matriculation and some other college activities, and its members still say grace in Latin. St Chad's has a traditional rivalry with the university's other recognised college, St John's, with an annual "John's/Chad's Day" featuring sporting competition between the two colleges. The college became fully mixed in 1988, after eight decades of admitting men exclusively.
History
Hostel and hall
In 1902, Frederick Samuel Willoughby, vicar of Hooton Pagnell near Doncaster, opened St Chad's Hostel to prepare men of limited financial means for entry to Church of England theological colleges. He was supported by the lady of the manor, Julia Warde-Aldam, who in 1903 funded a dedicated building for the hostel in Hooton Pagnell.The further financial support of Douglas Horsfall, a wealthy Liverpool businessman and devoted churchman, made it possible in 1904 to establish a hall at Durham University as a sister institution to the Hooton Pagnell hostel, to allow students to read for university degrees alongside training for ordination. Durham University had a provision in its statutes to recognise independent colleges, permitting students to matriculate through those institutions and then to sit for Durham exams.
A licence from the university was obtained and St Chad's Hall opened in October 1904 at 1 South Bailey, Durham, with nineteen students. With the expansion to Durham, Willoughby withdrew from the project and the Revd Stephen Moulsdale, a Durham graduate who had been vice-principal of the hostel, became the first principal of the hall as well as principal of the hostel.
The college soon expanded into neighbouring buildings, starting with 28 North Bailey which was rented from the dean and chapter of Durham Cathedral. In 1909, a small wooden chapel was constructed behind the South Bailey buildings, and dedicated by the Bishop of Jarrow.
The Durham hall and Hooton Pagnell hostel continued to operate in partnership, with students studying for a year at the hostel before moving to the hall to complete their studies, until 1916 when the Hooton Pagnell building was requisitioned as a war hospital and all teaching was moved to Durham. The hostel building was returned after the war, and re-opened for a short time, but the financial problems of running in two locations led to the hostel finally closing in 1921.
College
In 1918, after the college had established a number of endowed fellowships, the university recognised St Chad's as the university's second college.The college continued to expand with the lease and purchase of further buildings on the Bailey, including Douglas House at 18 North Bailey, purchased in 1925. In 1928, the current chapel was built behind Douglas House, with the previous chapel building given to found St Chad's Church, Sunderland.
In 1937, C. E. Whiting's centenary history of the university recorded that the college had 55 students and five staff, but could easily double its numbers if accommodation were available.
Consolidation on North Bailey
In the 1960s, the college took steps to consolidate its site on North Bailey, with the houses at the junction of Bow Lane and North Bailey being demolished in 1961 to enable the construction of a new dining hall and quadrangle, designed by neo-classical architect Francis Johnson. These new buildings were joined to existing 18th century houses at 16–18 North Bailey to form the present Main College.In 1965, the college's original home on South Bailey was exchanged with neighbouring St John's College for 22 and 22A North Bailey which with other purchases gave the college a 95m-long frontage on North Bailey.
Later events
The college ceased formal ordination training in 1971, but remains a Church of England foundation with students studying for degrees across all departments of the university.St Chad's was among the last university colleges in the UK to admit women undergraduates: as a part of a co-ordinated step-change in the university, the final all-male year entered in September 1987.
The college has continued to slowly expand, and new buildings have been acquired to allow for this increase, including former Durham School boarding house Trinity Hall as postgraduate accommodation, and additional houses on North Bailey.
Buildings
Students who study at St Chad's are accommodated in nine different houses: Queen's Court, Epiphany House, Main College, Lightfoot House, Langford House, Grads and Ramsey House and Trinity Hall all accommodate undergraduates; Hallgarth Street and Trinity Hall, along with part of Main College, are home to the college's postgraduate community.Most of the college buildings are Grade II listed. Grade I listed 12th-century castle walls run through the college's gardens.
North Bailey
Main College
Main College is located at 18 North Bailey, adjacent to Bow Lane, and consists of the college dining hall, designed in 1961 by neo-classical architect Francis Johnson, joined to a number of primarily 18th-century houses along North Bailey.At the centre of Main College, adjacent to the Moulsdale Hall, is the Cassidy Quad. This was originally an open quadrangle between buildings, but was given a glass roof for the college's centenary in 2004. Main College houses the college's major public areas, including the Junior, Middle and Senior Common Rooms, bar, libraries, the punishment chamber, and most college offices.
The college's croquet lawn, chapel and laundry are behind main college, along with walled gardens associated with the historic houses that make up the college.
A graffito on the Bow Lane side of the dining hall reads "Pulchra Semper", and has been in place since at least the 1970s.
Queen's Court
Queen's Court, 1 and 2 North Bailey, is a grade II listed building located at the junction between Saddler Street, North Bailey, and Owengate. It was built in the early 19th century and contains 24 student rooms. The college for many years occupied only 1 North Bailey, while no. 2 housed the Music Department. The two parts were reunited in 2013.Epiphany House
Epiphany House, 5 North Bailey, is a Grade II listed house built around 1700 and acquired by the college in 2006 to house undergraduates.Lightfoot House
Lightfoot House, 19 North Bailey is one of the buildings that comprise the college. It consists of two adjacent Grade II listed buildings that were constructed in the 18th century and have since been connected internally. The building is used as a hall of residence for first-year and third-year undergraduates. It is named after Joseph Barber Lightfoot, who was Bishop of Durham from 1879 to 1889.Langford House
Langford House, 21 North Bailey, is a Grade II listed building built in the 18th century and named after a former Judaism scholar and College Chaplain. For many decades, it was the home of the college's chaplains, but today is used as a hall of residence for third year undergraduate students.Grads House
Grads House, 22 North Bailey, is a Grade II listed building used as undergraduate accommodation. The building is largely late 18th-century, with a rainwater head dated 1796, but it contains a notable 17th century staircase. Its name derives from its use in the 1960s and 70s as a residence for students studying for postgraduate diplomas in Theology.Ramsey House
Ramsey House, 25 North Bailey, is a Grade II listed building built around 1820, now owned by the college and now used primarily for undergraduate accommodation. It is named for Arthur Michael Ramsey, the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury who was once resident in Ramsey House. He was also a member of the Governing Council for the college.For many decades, Ramsey House was the home of successive college principals, but it is now given over to student accommodation. There are now seven student rooms, a well-equipped kitchen, a self-contained fellows' flat, and the Ann Loades room, available for meetings.