Brasenose College, formally The Principal and Scholars of the King's Hall and College of Brasenose in Oxford, or BNC, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1509 by Bishop of Lincoln William Smyth and Sir Richard Sutton, it traces its origins to an eponymous 13th-century medieval academic hall.
In 2023, Brasenose placed second in the Norrington Table (an unofficial measure of performance in undergraduate degree examinations). In a recent Oxford Barometer Survey, Brasenose's undergraduates registered 98% overall satisfaction. In recent years, around 80% of the UK undergraduate intake have been from state schools.
Brasenose is home to one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, Brasenose College Boat Club. Notable alumni include two British prime ministers (Henry Addington and David Cameron), two Australian prime ministers (Sir John Gorton and Malcolm Turnbull), and three Nobel Prize winners (J. Michael Kosterlitz, Richard Robson, and Sir William Golding).
History
Foundation
The history of Brasenose College, Oxford, stretches back to 1509, when the college was founded on the site of Brasenose Hall, a medieval academic hall whose name is first mentioned in 1279.
Its name is believed to derive from the name of a brass or bronze knocker that adorned the hall's door and had a prominent nose, hence "Brass-Nose", which became "Brasenose" – see the picture on the left.
The college was associated with Lancashire and Cheshire, the county origins of its two founders – the Bishop of Lincoln, William Smyth and Sir Richard Sutton – a link which was maintained strongly until the latter half of the twentieth century.Buchan (1898), pp. 1–6.Crook (2008), p. 422. The first principals navigated Brasenose, with its Catholic sympathisers, through the Reformation and continuing religious reforms.Crook (2008), pp. 27–29.
Most of Brasenose favoured the Royalist side during the English Civil War, although it produced notable generals and clergy on both sides.Crook (2008), p. 50.
The library and chapel were completed in the mid-17th century, despite Brasenose suffering continuing financial problems.Crook (2008), pp. 45–49.Buchan (1898), p. 81.
Nineteenth century After 1785 the college prospered under Principal William Cleaver.Buchan (1898), p. 31. The college began to be populated by gentlemen, its income doubling between 1790 and 1810,Crook (2008), pp. 162–163. and achieved considerable academic success.Buchan (1898), p. 32. But the reconstruction of Brasenose was not completed until the end of the 19th century with the addition of New Quad between 1886 and 1911. Brasenose's financial position remained secure, although under the tenure of Principal Edward Hartopp Cradock Brasenose's academic record waned greatly, with much of its success focused on sport, where it excelled most notably in cricket and rowing.Crook (2008), pp. 248–249, 260–261.
The mid-century Royal Commissions were navigated; although they were initially opposed, some recommendations were welcomed, including the election of fellows on merit rather than by their place of birth. The election of Charles Heberden as principal in 1889 led to a gradual improvement in Brasenose's academic fortunes, although its sporting performance suffered.Crook (2008), pp. 307–309. As the first lay principal, Heberden presided over an increasingly secular college, which opened up the library to undergraduates, instituted an entrance exam for the first time and accepted Rhodes scholars.Crook (2008), pp. 311–316.
Early twentieth century Brasenose lost 115 men in the First World War (including a quarter of the 1913 year), with its undergraduate numbers greatly reduced.Crook (2008), pp. 321–322.
Lord Curzon's post-War reforms were successfully instituted. The inter-war period was defined by William Stallybrass, who as fellow and eventual principal (until 1948) dominated college life.Crook (2008), pp. 324–326. Brasenose once again produced top sportsmen – cricketers, rowers, and others.Crook (2008), pp. 348–349. This came at the cost of falling academic standards and poorly performing finances, which would see Stallybrass' authority challenged. He died in a railway accident before he could be forced out, however.Crook (2008), pp. 359–383.
After the war, sporting achievements waned (although there were notable exceptions) but academic success did not improve significantly, in what was now one of Oxford's largest colleges.Crook (2008), pp. 396–402.
Since 1970 The 1970s saw considerable social change in Brasenose, with more post-graduate members and fewer domestic staff.Crook (2008), pp. 403–405, 418–420. In 1974 Brasenose became one of the first men's colleges to admit women as full members, bringing an end to 470 years of the college as a men-only institution. The other previously all-male colleges to begin admitting women in 1974 were Jesus College, Hertford, St Catherine's, and Wadham. The College's first female Governing Body Fellow, lawyer Mary Stokes, was elected in May 1981 and took up her Fellowship in October 1982.
There was also considerable construction work to ensure that undergraduates could be housed for the entirety of their degree on the main site and on the Frewin site;Crook (2008), pp. 403–405. this objective was finally achieved in 1997 with the opening of the St Cross annexe and Frewin extension.Crook (2008), p. 430. Brasenose's finances were secured, and it thus entered the twenty-first century in a good position as regards financial, extracurricular and academic success.Crook (2008), pp. 400–402, 430–432.
As of 2022 the college admits undergraduates for most major courses in 17 subject groups across science, humanities, social science and arts.
Location and buildings
Brasenose faces the west side of Radcliffe Square opposite the Radcliffe Camera in the centre of Oxford. The north side is defined by Brasenose Lane, while the south side reaches the High Street. To the west is Lincoln College. At its south-east end, the college is separated from the University Church by St Mary's Passage. The main entrance of the college can be found on Radcliffe Square. Although not located on Turl Street, the college has informal links with the three Turl Street colleges (Lincoln, Jesus, and Exeter).
The main college site comprises three quads, the original Old Quad, a small quad known as the Deer Park, and the large New Quad, as well as collection of smaller houses facing Radcliffe Square and the High Street. The original college buildings comprised a single two-storey quad, incorporating the original kitchen of Brasenose Hall on the south side. In the 17th century a third floor was added to the quad to form the current Old Quad. A separate chapel was also built to the south, connected to the quad by a library built over a cloister as shown in a 1670 print, thus enclosing the Deer Park. The cloister was for a time the college burial ground, and evidence suggests there were at least 59 people buried there, with the last recorded burial being in 1754. The cloister was filled in to make two or three chambers in around 1807, used as student bedrooms or administrative offices until 1971, when the space was converted into the graduate common room. More recently the graduate common room moved to the Old Quad, and the space, still known as the "Old Cloisters" has been used as a library overspill area, a teaching room and, in 2010–11, as the temporary Senior Common Room. In January 2015, archaeological investigations began as a prelude to a major building project that will restore the stone work and integrate the lower and upper reading rooms, greatly enhancing the college's library provision. The nickname for the Chapel Quad is often thought to be a friendly jibe at Magdalen College which has a genuine deer park known as The Grove.
Dining hall In the 16th century the dining hall was heated by an open fire in the centre of the room, supplemented by movable braziers. In the 1680s the hall was renovated, with a raised floor to accommodate a wine cellar below, and a reconstructed roof. Another renovation phase in the mid-18th century included a new chimneypiece, a new ceiling to cover the original timber beams and two gilded chandeliers. The original brazen nose was placed above high table in 1890.Crook (2008).
Chapel
Building began on the current chapel in 1656, and it replaced an old chapel which was located in a space now occupied by the Senior Common Room. An inscription commemorates this above the door to Staircase IV. Building materials were taken from a disused chapel at the site of St Mary's College (now Frewin Hall), transported piece by piece by horse-and-cart to Brasenose College. The chapel, a mix of Gothic and Baroque styles, features a hanging fan vault ceiling of wood and plaster, and was consecrated in 1666. The internal fittings are largely 18th and 19th century, and include chandeliers presented to the college in 1749. These were donated to a parish church and later converted to gas but then returned to Brasenose when the church switched to electric lights. The chandeliers were then converted back to their original state so that candles could be used in them once again.Brasenose College 1509–2009: pamphlet viewed September 2010
Various alterations were made to the Chapel after completion. Although repairs were undertaken in the meantime, the interior of the Chapel was renovated (having fallen into a poor state) in 1819, and the exterior beginning in 1841. In 1892–3 a new organ was purchased and fitted, paid for by the then Principal Charles Buller Heberden; the current organ was installed in 1973, and rebuilt in 2001–2.
Library The current library was begun in 1658 and received its first books in 1664. It replaced a smaller library on Staircase IV, which is now used as a meeting room. The books in the current library were fixed by chains, which were only removed in the 1780s, over a hundred years later.
Author Philip Pullman opened the extensively renovated Greenland Library in May 2018, following a £4 million project to provide a better working space for students (architects – Lee/Fitzgerald). The library works were funded by three college alumni, Duncan Greenland, James Del Favero and Gerald Smith. Two reading rooms are named in honour of Del Favero and Smith respectively with the overall library taking Greenland's name The renovations won an RIBA regional RIBA Conservation award in 2019.
New Quad
New Quad was designed by TG Jackson and finished in 1911, replacing a number of existing buildings. The current site was completed in 1961 with new buildings, used largely for first year undergraduate accommodation, designed by the architects Powell and Moya.
In 2010 a project was begun to renovate the kitchens, servery, dining hall and some other areas of college. The project included the installation of under floor heating and a new timber floor in the dining hall, new kitchen equipment, a new servery area, additional dining and meeting places, and disabled access to the dining hall.Brasenose College Building Project Explained: Flyer viewed August 2010 During the project, the Old Quad housed a temporary dining hall and kitchen, while the New Quad was used to store building materials.