, mottoeng =
, established = 1965
, named_for =
River Derwent
, free_label = Manager
, free = Dr Andrew Kerrigan
, principal = Dr Eleanor Brown
, administrator = Chris Unwin
, undergraduates = 1545 (2021/2022)
, postgraduates = 290 (2021/2022)
, mascot = Derwent Duck
, newspaper = The Derwenter
, shield2 = Derwent College Shield.png
, website
Derwent College
Derwent College is a
college of the University of York, and alongside
Langwith College
, motto_English = He conquers who conquers himself
, established = 1965
, named_for = Langwith Common
, principal = Jeremy Jacob
, free_label = Manager
, free = Jonathan Exon
, administr ...
was one of the first two colleges to be opened following the university's inception. It is named after the local
River Derwent.
The college itself is next to
Heslington Hall
Heslington Hall is a Grade II* listed manor house near the village of Heslington, North Yorkshire, England, within the city of York. The hall is part of the campus of the University of York.
The original house dated from 1565–8, but it was ...
, and close to the
gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands.
Etymology
The etymology given by Oxford Dictionaries (website), Oxford D ...
and
garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...
s known collectively as ''The Quiet Place''.
History
Derwent, alongside
Langwith College
, motto_English = He conquers who conquers himself
, established = 1965
, named_for = Langwith Common
, principal = Jeremy Jacob
, free_label = Manager
, free = Jonathan Exon
, administr ...
is one of the founding colleges at the University of York. It was officially opened by
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
on 22 October 1965.
Following Langwith's move to the
Heslington East
, mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £8.0 million
, budget = £403.6 million
, chancellor = Heather Melville
, vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery
, students ...
campus in 2012, its former buildings are now part of Derwent College.
Buildings and Services
Derwent College has twelve accommodation blocks, named A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, M and P. Blocks A, B, C, D, J, K, M and P are standard university accommodation; they were built in the CLASP system, invented by Andrew Derbyshire, consisting of prefabricated concrete blocks and panels.
Block A is part of the main college nucleus, being the north-west and north-east sides of a small quadrangle, with the administrative offices and JCR on the south-east. B Block is situated nearer
Heslington Hall
Heslington Hall is a Grade II* listed manor house near the village of Heslington, North Yorkshire, England, within the city of York. The hall is part of the campus of the University of York.
The original house dated from 1565–8, but it was ...
overlooking the University Lake. C and D Blocks are also located near Heslington Hall and also form a single separate building in most important respects.
The original college only had A, B, and C blocks. Block D was added a few years later on a different floor plan with comparatively small individual rooms, but a large central kitchen and eating area. The older blocks had little communal space but somewhat larger rooms. Derwent College inherited the "Old Langwith" Blocks in 2012, when a new Langwith College was built on the Heslington East campus; blocks J, K, M and P are now part of the enlarged college.
There were also a small group of rooms known as "N Block" (N standing for nucleus) which were situated above the main kitchen. Originally these were used for guest accommodation, however they have since been converted to offices.
![Derwent and Langwith E and F blocks - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Derwent_and_Langwith_E_and_F_blocks_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1556187.jpg)
E, F, G and H Blocks are situated across the other side of University Road from the rest of the college, adjacent to
Heslington
Heslington is a suburban village and civil parish within the City of York district, in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England, south-east of the centre of York. Before 1974, it was a village in the Derwent Rural District, which was pa ...
Church field. They are more recently brick-build accommodation and some of these rooms offer
en-suite
A bathroom or washroom is a room, typically in a home or other residential building, that contains either a bathtub or a shower (or both). The inclusion of a wash basin is common. In some parts of the world e.g. India, a toilet is typically ...
bathroom facilities. Originally only two of these blocks belonged to Derwent, the other two were part of Langwith, prior to that college's move to the new East Campus, and collectively they were often referred to as "Derwith".
Further to the main blocks, Derwent students are also accommodated in Eden's Court which is situated on Heslington Lane. Eden's Court comprises eight houses, each of nine or ten rooms with similar layout to those of
Halifax College
, mottoeng = Scholarship, Activity and Community
, established = 1996 – as Halifax Court 2001 – as Halifax College
, named_for = Lord Halifax
, sister_colleges = The County College, Lancaster (2015 - present) Van Mildert ...
. There are also two cottages, Eden's Cottage and Sycamore Cottage. Eden's Court is jocularly referred to by the other blocks of Derwent as 'Shutter Island', due to its isolation in being situated nearer to Halifax College than the Derwent nucleus. Eden's Court was not always affiliated to Derwent and its residents, mostly
mature students
An adult learner or, more commonly, a mature student, is a person who is older and is involved in forms of learning. Adult learners fall in a specific criterion of being experienced, and do not always have a high school diploma. Many of the adult ...
, belonged to a range of colleges.
Facilities in Derwent include Computer Services classrooms and computer rooms, and the Derwent bar and dining room. During the day there is a main
dining room
A dining room is a room (architecture), room for eating, consuming food. In modern times it is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level. Historically ...
, a snack bar and a drinks
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
.
Derwent College is home to the University's
Politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
,
Education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
,
English & Related Literature and
School of PEP departments .
College Staff
The Head of College is a university academic who shares teaching duties with college responsibilities. The Head of College works with the Assistant Head of College, the College Administrator and the College Tutors. The current Head of College is Dr Eleanor Brown.
List of College Provosts/Heads of College:
*Professor Harry Rée (1965-1974)
*Dr. Michael Green (1974-1980)
*Dr. Ron Weir (1980-2009)
*Dr. Rob Aitken (2009-2014)
*Dr. Eleanor Brown (2014-''present'')
The current Assistant Head of College is Andrew Kerrigan, and the College Administrator is Chris Unwin.
Student life
Student representation
All undergraduate students of Derwent College are members of the
Junior Common room
A common room is a group into which students and the academic body are organised in some universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland—particularly collegiate universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, as well as the University of Bristol ...
, and continue to remain members throughout their time at the university. The Junior Common Room Committee is responsible for representing the interests of Derwent students, organising events, and promoting student well-being. The committee is elected annually from the undergraduate population, and consists of around 40 members.
All postgraduate students of Derwent College are members of the
Graduate Common room, and continue to remain members throughout their time at the university. The Graduate Common Room Committee is responsible for representing the interests of Derwent students, organising events, and welfare provision. The committee is elected annually from the postgraduate population.
The 2023 JCRC is:
*Chair - Isaac Hotchkiss
*Vice Chairs - Joshua Wilson
*Treasurer - ''vacant''
*Head of Sports -Harvey Charlesworth and Tom Palmer
*Heads of Events - Shiv Oza and Lucy Rutty
*Head of Wellbeing - Moesha Snoek
Events
Club D, a student club night on campus is organised through the Junior Common room. This is held periodically at weekends during term time in the Derwent bar and dining room.
The college also holds the annual Big-D (formerly known as Derwent BBQ). It is an end of year event along the lines of Club D, but on a larger scale. Taking up the whole area in and around the college, it is normally held on the first Monday after exams and has several rooms of music, bars and food, and open air activities.
Notable acts include Scouting for Girls and Macky Gee.
Sports
11th November - 13th November will see the 'Battle of the Birds' held between Derwent College and
James College
James College is a college at the University of York in the United Kingdom. It is known as the "Sports College" largely due to its prowess on the Sports field but also has a diversity of events that cater to all tastes.
History
James Colleg ...
.
Notable people
Famous past members of the College include
Greg Dyke
Gregory Dyke (born 20 May 1947) is a British media executive, football administrator, journalist, and broadcaster. Since the 1960s, Dyke has had a long career in the UK in print and then broadcast journalism. He is credited with introducing ' ...
(politics alumnus and former University
Chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
),
Jung Chang
Jung Chang (, , born 25 March 1952) is a Chinese-British writer now living in London, best known for her family autobiography ''Wild Swans'', selling over 10 million copies worldwide but banned in the People's Republic of China.
Her 832-page ...
and
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' and '' Harry & Paul'', and for the creation and ...
.
References
External links
Derwent College JCRCDerwent College - University pages
{{University of York
Colleges of the University of York
1965 establishments in England
Educational institutions established in 1965