Nuffield College

A few weeks ago I had the chance to see Nuffield College, just across from the castle mound. Nuffield is a relatively new college, founded in 1937 after a donation to the University by the William Morris otherwise know as Lord Nuffield, the industrialist and the founder of Morris Motors. He donated land for the college on New Road, to the west of the city center near the mound of Oxford Castle.  In addition to the land Nuffield gave £900,000 to build the college and to provide it with an endowment fund.  For the creation of Nuffield College and for his other donations (many of the medical buildings and programs) he was described in 1949 by an editorial in The Times as "the greatest benefactor of the University since the Middle Ages".  

Because of The Second World War, the building of the college was delayed  until 1949 and was not completed until 1960, a time when contemporary architecture was just beginning to appear in the University.  Progress was also hampered by post-war building restrictions and the effects of inflation on Nuffield's donation. This led to various cost-saving changes to the plans. In one change, the tower, which had been planned to be ornamental, was redesigned to hold the college's library. It was the first tower built in Oxford for 200 years and is about 150 feet tall.  It is an impressive tower and dominates the skyline. 

Since its beginnings, Nuffield College has initiated a number of trends at both Oxford and Cambridge. It was the first college to have both women and men housed together. It was also the first college to consist solely of graduate students. In addition, it was the first in modern times to have a defined subject focus, namely, the social sciences.

I love the simplicity of the architecture and design of the college.  I love the generosity of Lord Nuffield, who in his day was one of the wealthiest men in Europe and who gave away his fortune to so many great causes (He and his wife had no children).  He and his wife’s legacy continue to bless the U.K. to this day. 

Looking down at Nuffield College from the Castle Mound

Sculptures and a pond in the Quad

Windows of the lower quadrangle

A practical tower -- it houses the library.   

The windows in the Chapel were designed by John Piper and they are truly stunning! 

Unlike most college chapels, Nuffield's chapel is modern, simple, small, and really more of a place of meditation than a gathering place for worship