OXFORD LIFEKeble CollegeCMRS students are associate members of Keble College. Founded in 1870 in memory of John Keble, this was the first new college to be established in Oxford since Wadham in 1610. One of the drives behind its foundation was a desire to make an Oxford education more readily accessible by making it possible for students 'to live economically'. The College has kept this aim in view and has played a substantial part in reducing Oxford's social exclusiveness over the past one hundred and thirty years. Today, the men and women of Keble come from a wide range of backgrounds and schools. The College's doors are open wider now than its founders could have envisaged: originally intended exclusively for members of the Anglican Church, and for men only, like every other college of that time, it is now co-educational and selects its members without reference to their religion or gender. It has never discriminated on grounds of race or colour.
John Keble Keble was born in 1792, the son of a gentleman-parson living in Fairford, Gloucestershire. When he was only fourteen, he became a Scholar of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and four years later was awarded a Double First Class degree in classics and mathematics. He was almost immediately elected to a Fellowship at Oriel College and for a time was a Tutor there. He was ordained into the Church of England and, most unusually for the time, regarded the role of College Tutor as 'a species of pastoral care'. He soon acquired a reputation in the University for good-nature and wisdom. Keble's sermon in the University pulpit at Oxford on 'National Apostasy' on 14 July 1833 is usually regarded as the beginning of the Oxford Movement, which aimed to restore the High Church ideals of the seventeenth century to the Church of England. The acknowledged leaders of the Movement were Keble, Newman and Pusey. Keble cooperated with Newman in the issue of the Tracts for the Times, published a learned edition of Richard Hooker's works in 1836, and in 1838 became one of the editors of the Library of the Fathers. He also became known to a wider public through his poetry in The Christian Year (1827) and his contributions to Lyra Apostolica (1836) and Lyra Innocentium (1846). College Architecture The architect of Keble College was William Butterfield, now widely
admired in Britain and abroad as perhaps the greatest Victorian
architect. He built the new college of brick, decorating its surfaces
with bands of coloured brick to emphasize the lines of construction,
and varying its wall-lines to avoid monotonous regularity. The Chapel
is his masterpiece, described by Goodhart-Rendel as 'possibly one
of the three or four buildings in Oxford of most architectural importance'.
It dominates the surrounding buildings and its height is emphasized
by its high-placed windows and the sunken front quadrangle. A small
side chapel houses Holman Hunt's picture of Christ, Junior Common Room The 'Junior Common Room' (JCR) in its broadest sense refers to all undergraduates of the College. The President and officers of the JCR, elected annually, represent the interests of undergraduates at college and university level, administer the budget for sports and societies, and organize an active social calendar. Less metaphorically, the term JCR refers to the Common Room itself of which Keble boasts a spacious and well-furnished example. Together with the Games Room and the Bar (which is not exclusively a JCR facility, but a place where junior and senior members can mix in an informal atmosphere), this serves as both a social and political venue for all undergraduate members of the College. CMRS students over past years have been active JCR members. Sports The College is active in sport, and is particularly strong in rugby and rowing. Keble men and women also participate in a wide range of other sports including athletics, badminton, cricket, fencing, hockey, soccer, squash, tennis. Many CMRS students learn to row at Oxford, and some have represented the College in collegiate and national competitions.
College Societies In a large college such as Keble there is plenty of opportunity for college societies to flourish, though their fortunes rise and fall with the talents of each generation. Interests in drama, music, politics and religion are well represented. The College Music Society has long enjoyed a high reputation and sponsors concerts and recitals which can draw large audiences. The size of the Chapel and its acoustics make it not only a good place for singing, but an appropriate venue for many other musical activities. Drama at Keble has a long and sometimes distinguished history, and several productions are staged each year. One of the most prestigious and eagerly awaited events is the University Drama Competition (OUDS Cuppers) held in the first term of the academic year, in which colleges compete for theatrical acclaim. University Societies As associate members of Keble College, CMRS students are able to choose from more than 200 clubs and societies which cater for every conceivable taste. Membership is relatively cheap and, study-time permitting, can be an excellent way of meeting people outside CMRS and Keble. |
Keble
has the reputation of being one of the friendliest colleges in the
University, with a strong sense of community amongst all its members
- students, dons, and staff. It is a large college by Oxford standards,
with 440 undergraduates, more than 200 graduates, and an academic
staff of about 60. Tutors and lecturers at Keble cover nearly all
subjects offered by the University.
'The
Light of the World', which illustrates Revelation iii.20: 'Behold
I stand at the door, and knock ...' On the opposite side of the
quadrangle, approached through a monumental staircase, are the Library
and the Dining Hall, the longest Hall and certainly one of the most
impressive in Oxford. The College's fine architectural tradition
has been continued in recent years by the construction of a range
of prize-winning buildings.