Editing Worcester College, Oxford (section)

==Buildings and grounds==
[[File:UK-2014-Oxford-Worcester College 01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|Front view of medieval cottages.]]
The buildings are diverse, especially in the main [[Quadrangle (architecture)|quadrangle]]: looking down into the main quadrangle from the entrance through the main building, to the right is an imposing 18th-century building in the [[neo-classical style]]; and to the left a row of [[Middle Ages|medieval]] buildings known as "the cottages", which are among the oldest residential buildings in [[Oxford]]. These cottages are the most substantial surviving part of [[Gloucester College]], Worcester's predecessor on the same site: this was a college for [[Benedictine monks]], founded in 1283 and dissolved with the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] in about 1539.{{fact|date=March 2021}}

[[File:Gloucester-hall.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|[[Gloucester Hall]] in 1675, housed largely in the surviving buildings of Gloucester College]]
After a lapse of 20 years, the buildings of the old Gloucester College were used in the foundation of an [[academic halls of the University of Oxford|academic hall]], ''[[Gloucester Hall]]'', in around 1560. The penultimate principal, [[Benjamin Woodroffe]], attempted to establish there a '[[Greek College, Oxford|Greek College]]' for [[Greek Orthodox]] students to come to Oxford, part of a scheme to make ecumenical links with the [[Church of England]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Greek College at Oxford, 1699–1705 |first=E. D. |last=Tappe |url=http://oxoniensia.org/volumes/1954/tappe.pdf |journal=[[Oxoniensia]] |volume=XIX |year=1954 |pages=92–111}}</ref> This was a going concern from 1699 to 1705, although only 15 Greeks are recorded as members.{{fact|date=March 2021}}

In 1714, thanks to a fortunate benefaction from a Worcestershire baronet, [[Sir]] [[Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet|Thomas Cookes]], Gloucester Hall was transformed into Worcester College. Even then, there were only sufficient funds to rebuild the Chapel, Hall and Library and the north side of the Front Quad, known as the Terrace. The designs were by [[George Clarke]], who had consulted [[Nicholas Hawksmoor]].{{fact|date=March 2021}}

In 1736, Clarke generously left to the college his great collection of books and manuscripts. These included the papers of his father [[William Clarke (English politician)|William Clarke]] (which are of crucial importance for the history of England during the period of the [[Commonwealth of England|Commonwealth]] and [[The Protectorate|Protectorate]]) and a large proportion of the surviving drawings of [[Inigo Jones]].{{fact|date=March 2021}}

[[File:WorcesterCollegeTHShepherdEarly19thc edited.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|[[Worcester College]] in the early 19th century. The projecting wings are the Hall (left) and the Chapel (right)]]
Owing to lack of funds, Worcester's 18th-century building programme proceeded by fits and starts. The west end of the Terrace and the Provost's Lodgings were added in 1773–1776 (architect: [[Henry Keene (architect)|Henry Keene]]). The medieval cottages were to have been replaced by a further classical range, but survived because money for this purpose was never available; the Hall and Chapel, by [[James Wyatt]], were not completed until the 1770s.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of the College |url=https://www.worc.ox.ac.uk/about/history-college |website=Worcester College, University of Oxford |access-date=24 June 2022}}</ref>

===The Chapel===
The College Chapel was built in the 18th century. George Clarke, Henry Keene, and James Wyatt were responsible for different stages of its lengthy construction (1720–1791), owing to a shortage of funds. The interior columns and pilasters, the dome, and the delicate foliage plastering are all Wyatt's work. His classical interior was insufficiently emphatic for the tastes of militant Victorian churchmen, and between 1864 and 1866 the chapel was redecorated by [[William Burges]]. It is highly unusual and decorative; being predominantly pink, the pews are decorated with carved animals, including kangaroos and whales, and the walls are riotously colourful, and include frescoes of dodos and peacocks. Its [[stained glass]] windows were to have been designed by [[John Everett Millais]], but Burges rejected his designs and entrusted the work to [[Henry Holiday]]. Oscar Wilde said of the Chapel, "As a piece of simple decorative and beautiful art it is perfect, and the windows very artistic."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worcesterchapel.co.uk/the-chapel/ |title=Worcester College Chapel &#124; The Chapel |publisher=Worcesterchapel.co.uk |date=2014-06-20 |access-date=2017-02-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220012548/http://www.worcesterchapel.co.uk/the-chapel/ |archive-date=2017-02-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Worcester College Chapel, Oxford, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The interior of The Chapel]]

===The Chapel Choirs===
Worcester is unique among the Oxford colleges in that it has not one, but two chapel choirs of equal status, which share out the weekly services between them. There is a mixed-voice choir constituted of auditioned choral scholars and volunteers, which sings twice a week: weekly on Thursday and on alternating Sunday and Monday evenings. The Boys' Choir consists of trebles from [[Christ Church Cathedral School]] and alto, tenor and bass choral scholars. This choir also sings twice weekly; on Sunday and Tuesday evenings. These choirs are run on a day-to-day basis by Worcester's two Organ Scholars alongside the director of music.{{fact|date=March 2021}}

===The Hall===
William Burges was commissioned to redecorate the Hall, but was forced to curtail his elaborate designs by a lack of funds. A reduced scheme was completed in 1877 but was substantially altered in the early-20th century, and in 1966 Wyatt's designs were restored using his original drawings (preserved in the College Library), under the direction of architect Emil Godfrey. The Hall was refurbished and redecorated in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worcestercollegelibrary.wordpress.com/2018/04/20/the-many-lives-of-worcester-college-hall/|title=The Many Lives of Worcester College Hall|last=Goodrum|first=Emma|date=2018-04-20|website=Treasures of Worcester College|language=en|access-date=2019-08-21}}</ref>

{{quote box|width=25em|bgcolor=#c6dbf7|align=left|quote="Exit Burges. [The college fellows] will be sorry in fifty years."|source=—[[Nikolaus Pevsner]] on the College Fellows' decision to remove Burges's work in the Hall and reinstate that of Wyatt.{{sfn|Sherwood|Pevsner|1996|p=223}} }}

===Modern buildings===
In more recent years, several new residential blocks for undergraduates and graduates have been added, thanks in part to a series of generous benefactions. The latest of these include the Earl Building, Sainsbury Building (which won the Civic Trust Award in 1984), Linbury Building, Canal Building, Ruskin Lane Building (for undergraduates), the Franks Building (for graduates), and the [[Nazrin Shah of Perak|Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre]], which won numerous architectural awards and was shortlisted for the 2018 [[Stirling Prize]].<ref name="RIBA">{{cite web |title=The Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre |url=https://www.architecture.com/awards-and-competitions-landing-page/awards/riba-regional-awards/riba-south-award-winners/2018/the-sultan-nazrin-shah-centre |website=www.architecture.com |access-date=21 September 2022}}</ref>

The Canal Building sits next to the north entrance to the college and, as the name suggests, beside the [[Oxford Canal]]. It houses 50 students in large en-suite single rooms. The accommodation is usually reserved for third and fourth-year undergraduates.{{fact|date=March 2021}}

===The Gardens===
[[File:Oxford - Worcester College - playing field trees.jpg|thumb|Worcester's playing fields]]

Although Worcester is near the centre of Oxford today, it was on the edge of the city in the 18th century. This has proved a benefit in the long run, since it has allowed the college to retain very extensive gardens and contiguous [[playing fields]] (a total of {{convert|26|acre|ha|abbr=off|disp=or}}, including a lake).{{fact|date=March 2021}}

The gardens have won numerous awards, including the Oxford in Bloom college award every time they have been entered for the competition.{{fact|date=November 2024}} Extensive work on the gardens was carried out between 1817 and 1820, and they may have been laid out in the Picturesque style by Richard Greswell in 1827. They are now managed by head gardener Simon Bagnall and a team of seven gardeners.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/main.jhtml?xml=/gardening/2007/07/20/garden-borderlines-worcester120.xml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530174826/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/main.jhtml?xml=/gardening/2007/07/20/garden-borderlines-worcester120.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-05-30|title=Borderlines: Worcester College gardens |work=[[Daily Telegraph]] |location=London |first=Ursula |last=Buchan |date=2007-07-20}}</ref>

A production of ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' was directed by [[Patrick Garland]] in the gardens with [[Oz Clarke]] as [[Sir Toby Belch]] and [[Francis Matthews (actor)|Francis Matthews]]. Other garden plays have included ''[[The Tempest]]'' on the lake, directed by [[Nevill Coghill]] in 1949, and ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' in the Provost's garden, directed by provost [[Jonathan Bate]] and undergraduate Georgia Figgis in 2016.{{fact|date=March 2021}}

From February 2009 until December 2018 the college's gardeners kept a [[blog]] to provide an insight into the work involved in looking after the {{convert|26|acre|m2}}.<ref>[http://www.wocogaga.blogspot.com Worcester College Gardeners Blog].</ref>

===Gallery===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150" style="font-size:88%; line-height:130%">
File:WorcesterQuadrangle.JPG|The main quadrangle of Worcester College; on the left are the medieval buildings known as "the cottages", the most substantial surviving part of [[Gloucester College, Oxford|Gloucester College]], Worcester's predecessor
File:Worcester_College,_Oxford_archway.JPG|The 15th-century gate of Gloucester College, surviving to the side of the current gate and bearing the arms of the abbeys of Winchcombe, St Albans and Ramsey
File:Worcester College from the quad.JPG|The main building rebuilt between 1720 and 1786. Above the arcade is the Old Library; behind the arcade are the main entrance to the College (centre) and the entrances to the Chapel (left) and the Hall (right)
File:Worcester College, Oxford - geograph.org.uk - 1325095.jpg|North range of the Quad, the 18th-century Terrace
File:Oxford - Worcester College - Provost lodging.jpg|Provost's Lodgings, added to the North range in 1773–1776 by the architect [[Henry Keene (architect)|Henry Keene]]
File:Worcester College Oxford England.jpg|The cottages from the Nuffield lawn
File:Oxford - Worcester College - lake sun.jpg|Lake
File:Sainsbury Building.jpg|Sainsbury Building (which won the Civic Trust Award in 1984)
File:Nazrin Shah Centre.jpg|Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre, added in 2017, viewed across the cricket field
</gallery>