Selwyn College was founded in memory of George Augustus Selwyn who rowed in the Cambridge crew in the first Varsity Boat Race in 1829. He later became the first Bishop of New Zealand and then the Bishop of Lichfield. Selwyn's three main courts are built on six acres of farm land which were bought from Corpus Christi College in 1879. In 1882 the College opened with a mere 28 undergraduates, as well as the Master, Bursar, Tutor and one non-resident part-time lecturer. Selwyn was formally approved as a college in 1958 and was one of the first colleges to become mixed when women were admitted in 1976.
Old Court was designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield in red brick in the Tudor Gothic style. When the Chapel was built in 1895 it was elevated on a causeway to be level with the Tower and Gateway, and this left the sunken centre of the court which was grassed over some three feet lower than the surrounding path. Gladstone made a personal gift to the College of the louder of the two Chapel bells.
The old Victorian plans by Sir Arthur Blomfield were discarded when the Hall was built in 1908 and the firm of Grayson and Ould was selected as architect. The Master's Lodge was built in 1883-4. |
