Darwin College is the fourth-oldest

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

of the

University of Kent The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...

, an English higher education institution in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It was opened in 1970.

Namesake

After much debate, the college was named after

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

, the

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

.Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' (

University of Kent at Canterbury A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

, 1990) page 125-126 Unusually for a namesake of a Kent college, Darwin had strong connections to the historic county of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, having lived in

Down House Down House is the former home of the English Natural history, naturalist Charles Darwin and his family. It was in this house and garden that Darwin worked on his theory of evolution by natural selection, which he had conceived in London befor ...

Downe Downe, formerly Down (), is a village in Greater London, England, located within the London Borough of Bromley, which formed part of the historical county of Kent until 1965, and is beyond London's contiguous urban area. Charles Darwin lived ...

(now in the

London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley () is a London Borough, borough in London, England. It is the largest and southeasternmost borough in London, and borders the county of Kent, of which it formed part until 1965. The borough's population in the 2021 ...

) for the last forty years of his life. Other names considered in the lengthy process included: * Anselm, after Anselm a former

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

* Attlee, after

Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British statesman who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. At ...

, the post-war

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

* Becket, after

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

, former Archbishop of Canterbury, murdered in the city's cathedral and subsequently canonised (this was the recommendation of the college's provisional committee but was rejected by the University Senate) * Conrad, after the novelist

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...

who lived near Canterbury and is buried in the city * Elgar, after composer

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

* Maitland * Marlowe, after playwright

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe ( ; Baptism, baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), also known as Kit Marlowe, was an English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the English Renaissance theatre, Eli ...

* Russell, after philosopher

Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, and public intellectual. He had influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, and various areas of analytic ...

(this was the recommendation of the Senate but rejected by the Council; Russell's political activism was the cause of much opposition) * Tyler, after Peasants' Revolt leader

Wat Tyler Wat Tyler (1341 or – 15 June 1381) was a leader of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in Kingdom of England, England. He led a group of rebels from Canterbury to City of London, London to oppose the collection of a Tax per head, poll tax and to dem ...

(after whom Tyler Hill, on which the college stands, is named) The name was eventually decided by a postal ballot of members of the Senate, choosing from a shortlist of Attlee, Conrad, Darwin, Elgar, Maitland, Marlowe and Tyler.Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' (

, 1990) pages 122-126

Darwin Student Committee (DSC)

The Darwin Student Committee (DSC) is a group of students who volunteer their time to make the life of Darwin College students more enjoyable. They meet and discuss issues that concern the students, deal with problems, organise events during Welcome Week, listen to concerns and generally improve the experience of students within the College. Weekly DSC meetings plan college events, such as the Masquerade Ball, discuss issues affecting students, which campaigns to run, and receive and pass on important messages from Kent Union and their sabbatical officers. Since the college opened, there has been an annual vote within the college to elect the student President.

Student life

Darwin College was home to Origins, a restaurant and bar operated by the University of Kent as part of its campus dining venues. Until 2017, Origins was a Tex-Mex restaurant known for its homemade nachos, fajitas, and burritos. That year, it transitioned into an American smokehouse and barbecue venue, serving dishes such as hanging skewers, burgers, and po’boys. In addition to its food offerings, Origins hosted a regular quiz night on Sundays, a popular karaoke night, and Ruby Tuesdays, the longest-running indie night event on campus. The venue was well-known among students, staff, and visitors. Origins has since closed, and the space is now used for teaching purposes.

References

External links

Darwin Student CommitteeUniversity of Kent
{{University of Kent University of Kent