New Buildings, Worcester College. Source: Album of Oxford Photographs.
fter a . . . period of decay lasting through the Commonwealth and Restoration, when things grew so bad that at last there was “not one scholar in Gloucester Hall,” Dr Woodroffe, an energetic, pushing man, was appointed Principal. He spent several hundred pounds out of his own purse in making the college “fit for the Muses,” and then conceived the idea approved by several eminent men, of offering to take twenty Greek scholars for a special course of study, the hope being that a reunion with the Greek Church would ensue. Accordingly five scholars came over to begin with, but "though they were well enough treated at first yet afterwards they and those that came after them, were so ill accommodated... that some of them staid not many months and others would have gone if they had known how.” Eventually an end was put to the matter by the receipt of a missive from Constantinople stating that “the irregular life of certain priests of the Eastern Church living in London is a matter of great concern to the Church, wherefore the Church forbids any to go and study at Oxford be they ever so willing."
Dr Woodroffe, however, cared little for the failure of this scheme, being already absorbed in a far more ambitious one. Sir Thomas Cookes, a Worcestershire baronet, had announced his intention of spending £10,000 on an Oxford college, and the Doctor had instantly set about securing it for Gloucester. At first Sir Thomas lent a favourable ear to his representations, but becoming wearied by the Doctor's importunity he postponed the matter, and finally died leaving it in the hands of certain bishops who showed no disposition to hasten a settlement. Ten years went by and Dr Woodroffe died, his ambition unachieved; but two years later the trustees at last decided in favour of Gloucester and paid over the money.
Cottages, the Gardens, Worcester College, Oxford. W. Matthison. Watercolor. Source: Artistic Colored Views of Oxford.
Great were the rejoicings; the college was entirely reorganised and entered upon a new lease of life under the name of Worcester College. As time went on other moneys came in under various wills, the most generous benefactor being Dr George Clarke, and in 1720 a complete restoration of the buildings was put in hand. The next step was to buy up the land surrounding the college, and part of it was laid out by Richard Greswell in 1829 as the beautiful gardens now Worcester' s pride, the charm of which is heightened by the Pool, a cool, quiet lake on which white swans glide out of sight among green and shady woodland. The entrance to the gardens is under a narrow archway near the south-west corner of the quadrangle, and strangers are freely admitted. In 1863 the present decoration of the chapel was begun, the money for it, £7000, being subscribed by members of the college. The subject of it is the “Te Deum” and “Benedicite,” “the world and all that therein is” uniting in the worship of the Creator, the very finials of the stalls forming part of the concep tion. A competent authority declared that “ in no exist ing English building has so much study been devoted to a scheme of decoration, and so much care lavished on its execution.”
Among the most distinguished members of Worcester College was Thomas de Quincey, who had rooms on No. 10 staircase. He used to live very quietly, going without even necessaries in order to buy books. It was customary in those days to dress for Hall, and on one occasion de Quincey, having parted with his only waistcoat for the sake of a volume he had coveted, went in to dinner endeavour ing to hide the lack, but in vain, and he was promptly “sconced” - i. e. he was condemned to drain at a draught a tankard or sconce-pot, containing three pints. This penalty, which even now is occasionally enforced in Oxford, was usually imposed upon those who had obtained some special distinction , and if it were successfully performed the victim could sconce the whole table. Worcester possesses thirteen of these tankards, which are known among the undergraduates by such names as “Old Tom ,” “Old Tom's Brother," “Blue Peter,” etc . De Quincey left Oxford suddenly just before the close of an examination in which he was doing brilliantly .
An unusually large proportion of Worcester men have always been the sons of clergymen, and an equally large proportion have them selves taken holy orders.
The college has done well on the river , considering its small numbers. A Worcester man took part in the very first college race of which there are any records.
Links to Related Material
Bibliography
Artistic Colored Views of Oxford Being Proof Sheets of the Postcards of Oxford. Illustrated by W. G. Blackall. Oxford: E. Cross, nd. Internet Archive version of a copy in St. Michael's College Toronto. 3 October 2012.Lang, Elsie M. The Oxford Colleges. London: T. Werner. HathiTrust online version of a copy in the University of Michigan Library. Web. 8 November 2022.
Last modified 8 November 2022