Henderson Hall is a historic

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

building in

Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne Heaton is a district and Suburb#In the United Kingdom and Ireland, suburb in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, in Tyne and Wear, England, east of the city centre. It is bordered by the neighbouring areas of Walkergate to the east, Jesmond to the ...

, England. The building was previously a

hall of residence A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

for

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...

. It was badly damaged by a major fire in 2023.

History

The hall was designed by architect

Arnold Dunbar Smith Arnold Dunbar Smith (2 December 18667 December 1933) was an English architect who in 1897 formed Smith & Brewer (18971949) with Cecil Claude Brewer (18711918) who were responsible for the design of the Mary Ward House in London (1899) and the ...

of Smith and Brewer in a neo-vernacular style and built between 1929 and 1932. It opened in 1932 as the first hall of residence for men at Durham University's Armstrong College in Newcastle (now

), and was named Henderson Hall in 1935 after local philanthropist George Henderson who had donated the funds for its construction. Notable residents of the hall included comedian

Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles in the sitcoms ''Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and '' Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and in the film series '' Johnny English'' (2003– ...

and musician

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...

. Atkinson used to perform amateur dramatics there, playing a grumpy old man in a raincoat. He was also interested in showing films in the hall's cinema. It was the subject of a book, ''Basil's Boys: Student Memories of Henderson Hall'' in 2010, taking its name from Basil Edward Quartermaine Smith who was warden from 1957 to 1981. On 26 June 1996, the hall was designated a

building on the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...

by The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England as "a very well preserved example of the more traditional type of student residence". By 2023, the halls had been "empty for a few years". On 8 June 2023, a large fire started in the loft of the building, which was vacant at the time. It took over 50 firefighters and ten fire engines to control the fire over several hours. The building suffered extensive damage to the roof. A person was arrested on suspicion of arson.

References

External links

* {{commonscat-inline, Henderson Hall, Newcastle, Henderson Hall 1830s architecture Grade II listed buildings in Tyne and Wear Buildings at Newcastle University Halls of residence in the United Kingdom Burned buildings and structures in the United Kingdom