Wantage Hall, built 1908, is the oldest

hall of residence A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

, in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

, England. The hall is one of 13 belonging to the University and is close to

Whiteknights Campus Whiteknights Park, or the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading, is the principal campus of that university. The park covers the area of the manor of Earley Whiteknights, also known as Earley St Nicholas and Earley Regis. Whit ...

. It is designated a grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, a status given for its special architectural or historic interest. The hall provides fully catered residential accommodation for about 245 students.

History

Wantage Hall was built in 1906–1908 by Harriet, Lady Wantage in memory of her husband

Robert Loyd-Lindsay, 1st Baron Wantage Brigadier General Robert James Loyd-Lindsay, 1st Baron Wantage, (17 April 1832 – 10 June 1901) was a British soldier, politician, philanthropist, benefactor to Wantage, and first chairman and co-founder of the British National Society for Aid t ...

, and was the first residential hall of the University, at that time an extension college of

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. The architect was Charles Steward Smith, and the hall was laid out as a quadrangle and built in

Neo-Tudor Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

style in red brick with stone details. Wantage Hall was used by the

No 1 School of Military Aeronautics __NOTOC__ The No 1 School of Military Aeronautics was a World War I training school for the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), based in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, England. It was formed in 1915 as an instructors college - but expanded in 1916 into a ful ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

for training flight instructors, cadet pilots and observers. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, it was the headquarters of

RAF Reserve Command RAF Home Command was the Royal Air Force command that was responsible for the maintenance and training of reserve organisationsJohn D. Rawlings, 'The History of the Royal Air Force,' Temple Press Aerospace, Feltham, Middlesex, 1984, p.180 from fo ...

.Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - RAF Home Commands formed between 1939–1957
/ref> In 1970 an extension of little architectural interest was built to the north, also in red brick. This was called "New Court", and the original structure became "Old Court".

Gallery

File:Wantage Hall.jpg, The clock tower and entrance from inside Old Court File:Wantage Hall Quad view.JPG, A view of Old Court File:Wantage Hall Dining Room.jpg, The dining room File:Wantage Hall Old Court Bedroom.JPG, An Old Court bed room

References

External links

*
Buildings and structures completed in 1908 Buildings and structures of the University of Reading Grade II listed buildings in Reading 1908 establishments in England {{Berkshire-struct-stub