College Hall

College Hall was opened in 1882 in Byng Place to provide accommodation for the rising numbers of female students at the University of London in general and University College London in particular. Classes were open to women at University College from 1870 and at the London School of Medicine for Women from 1874. Among the eminent founders of College Hall were: Miss Leigh Brown, Sir Edward and Lady Busk, Professor Carey Foster, Professor Alfred J. Church, Miss Eleanor Grove, Lady Lockyer, Professor Henry Morley, Miss Anna Swanwick and Mrs. Stephen Winkworth. The hall at first occupied one house on Byng Place but later grew to occupy three which the residents affectionately named, ‘Byng’. The success of the hall, led to the granting of its incorporation in 1886 under the title College Hall London. It was recognised as a Hall of Residence for Women Students by the Senate of the University of London in 1910 (S.M. 3045 of 15, June 1910). 400 students had resided in the Hall between 1882 and 1912 including 160 from the Slade School of Art. The aims of the Hall in 1912, were to provide accommodation for women undertaking serious academic. Hardship funds and were also available in 1912 for ‘ailing residents’, scholarships and exhibitions. The money to support these funds came from a number of charitable trusts set up through bequests. There was also a ‘Country Cottage’ for residents to retreat to at weekends. The Council in 1913 comprised the provost of University College and W.P Kerr, professor of English Language and Literature at University College London from 1889. By 1912 it was necessary to rebuild the hall. The reasons for this were summarised as follows: ‘The building is old, and fundamentally out of repair. It is in many respects ill-adapted to its purpose as a Hall Of Residence, and cannot meet modern requirements on the most economical terms. There is considerable waste of space, and some of the rooms are larger than is necessary, with the result that the fees charged to cover the annual expenses are inevitably higher than is desirable. On the other hand, the accommodation is very limited, and it is impossible to provide residence for more than thirty-five students. Thus while the demand is for a large number of rooms at a moderate fee, College Hall as at present constituted provides only a small number of rooms at a somewhat high fee. These considerations have led the Council to start a fund for the purchase of the freehold of the present site and for the subsequent erection thereon of a new Hall.’ Initial funding for the hall had come from the founders and their friends. In 1912, it is recorded that no grant had been received from the General Maintenance Fund of the University of London. The buildings at that date were held on a sub-lease from the Coward Trustees who were then tenants of the Bedford Estate. College Hall was at a disadvantage from not having its site as freehold and its buildings as an endowment, unlike other women’s halls of residence at the time. Both the sub-lease of College Hall and the main lease held by Coward Trustees terminated in June 1923. With this in mind, the Council secured an option to purchase the site for £7,500 and from Coward Trustees, an option to purchase the rest of the lease for £3,195. The money was secured for the freehold of the site, in large part due to a bequest from the first Vice-Principal, Miss Morrison. Studio, library, dining-room, common-rooms and a gymnasium were intended for inclusion in the project. Funds, however, were not available for the improvements needed to the buildings. In 1931, however, it was recognised that the Byng Place site was insufficiently large for the proposed plans for a new hall. The Council therefore acquired from the Duke of Bedford, a 99 years’ building lease on a site in Malet Street. A prospectus informed potential donors of a need for a further £35,000 for the construction of the new hall, after the sale of Byng Place. The new hall opened on Malet Street in 1932. College Hall also owned premises on Gower Street that were leased to other institutions (including the Ministry of Works in January1941). College Hall was leased to the Victoria League on 12 December 1939 for use as the King George and Queen Elizabeth Club for men from armed forces oversees. However, the building sustained serious damage from enemy air attack on the night of 17 April 1941. 20-30 lives were lost and the building was rendered uninhabitable. College Hall’s status as a company ceased as of 1 August 1965. From that date, the Senate of the University of London assumed responsibility for the running of the hall while the Court of the University took over its assets and liabilities (reference: SM 5191 of 14 July 1965). In December 1965, it was agreed that the Charitable Trusts of College Hall be transferred to the Collegiate Council of the University (reference: SM 1887 of 15 December 1965 and SM 5928 of 19 July 1967) (see Appendix 1 for a list of charitable trust associated with College Hall). The Court made an interim grant of £34,736 available for the acquisition of College Hall in 1966 (reference: SM 4982 of 15 June 1966). The Court made further grants of £51,180, £77,250 and £6883 available for the rehabilitation of College Hall following its transfer to the University (reference: SM 877 of 19 October 1966, SM 2072 of 14 December 1966 and SM 2524 of 25 January 1967). Today, College Hall provides accommodation for 250 women students in 115 single and 66 double study-bedrooms.