University College, informally known as Castle, is the oldest constituent college of

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Centred on Durham Castle on Palace Green, it was founded in 1832 by William van Mildert, Bishop of Durham. As a constituent college of Durham University, it is listed as a higher education institution under section 216 of the Education Reform Act 1988. Almost all academic activities, such as research and tutoring, occur at a university level. University College moved into its current location in 1837. Around 150 students are accommodated within Durham Castle. Other college buildings, including converted 18th century houses and purpose-built accommodation from the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s, are within five minutes' walk of the castle. The college has 700 undergraduates and is currently the most over-subscribed college of the university. In 1987 it admitted women undergraduates for the first time, having previously been an all-male college. University College fosters a traditional atmosphere, encouraging its members to attend formal dinner which happens every Thursday. Formals take place in the great hall, consisting of a three-course dinner for which gowns are required dress. Students must also recite grace in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and must not stand until both a senior member of the JCR and the MCR have bowed to the high table. The MCR typically hosts a subsequent Port & Cheese event for their members following the formal. Castle also hosts the June Ball, a white-tie event as part of the end of examination celebrations. The MCR hosts their own Charity Ball in the month of June. From January 2012 until March 2019 the Master of the college was

political theorist A political theorist is someone who engages in constructing or evaluating political theory, including political philosophy. Theorists may be academics or independent scholars. Ancient * Aristotle * Chanakya * Cicero * Confucius * Mencius * ...

David Held. Wendy Powers joined as the college Principal on 1 June 2020.

History

Early years

University College was formed upon the creation of University of Durham in 1832. It was the first college of the university, and is therefore known as the "foundation college", but the university was founded explicitly on the

Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford, Universities of Oxford and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collect ...

model; the intention was already for the university to develop along collegiate lines in the manner of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, as it has. Previously, for centuries, Durham Castle had been the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

for the Bishop of Durham until the residence was moved to Auckland Castle in 1832. Bishop William van Mildert, one of the founders of the university, had intended for the castle to be given to the college. Temporary accommodation for students was provided at the Archdeacon's Inn (now known as Cosin's Hall) on Palace Green until University College moved into its permanent home in 1837 after van Mildert's successor, Edward Maltby, completed renovations of the Castle. The castle's

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

, formerly a ruin, was redeveloped for student accommodation; in particular, the college's chapels and

Great Hall A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, castle or a large manor house or hall house in the Middle Ages. It continued to be built in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries, although by then the family used the great cha ...

have been restored. Since then high levels of maintenance have been, and still are, necessary to preserve the buildings of the castle.The university's second college, Hatfield Hall, was formed in 1846 as a response to the high costs of maintaining Castle. These costs arose from the students' expectations of being provided with servants and room furnishings. The university struggled for the rest of the 19th century, held back by a lack of prestige and a distance from the centres of power in the UK. By 1882, Castle contained some 79 undergraduates out of 205 at the university as a whole. Despite the university largely failing to gain recognition and prestige, a number of other colleges had opened by the end of the nineteenth century. Of these, Bishop Cosin's Hall failed to become financially viable and was absorbed into University College in 1864. Enrolment numbers continued to fluctuate.

1919–38

The inter-war years were transformative for Castle. The college was the smallest in Durham university, with just 34 undergraduates in 1928, and was struggling to meet maintenance costs. The Castle, situated on the banks of " The Peninsula", was in danger of collapsing into the River Wear and many of its internal structures were weak. The combination of high costs and low undergraduate numbers meant that the college was often threatened with closure or merger with Hatfield. Castle was saved largely through charitable donations. A visit in the 1920s from Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), helped increase the profile of the cause. In the 1920s, the castle's foundations were secured through reinforcement with concrete. Following these and other extensive building refurbishments of the 1920s and 1930s the college was now able to expand.

Post-war

One of its most successful periods followed during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when personnel of the Durham University Air Squadron were posted in the castle, doing short courses before joining the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. Those from the college who died during World War II were commemorated by the redevelopment of the Norman Gallery area of the Castle in the 1950s. This period also saw the launch of ''Castellum'', an annual journal of the Castle Society, created to keep former students in touch with college life. In order to continue this expansion, the college purchased Lumley Castle in 1946 to house students, and by 1948 seventy five students were housed there. This section of the college developed a spirit of its own and is still remembered today through activities such as the Lumley Run.

During the 1950s and 1960s the college expanded through developments at Owengate (later renovated in 2014) and Bailey Court, both around Palace Green. In the 1970s, the college's lease of Lumley Castle ended. Moatside Court was instead developed, and meant that all the college's students were now housed within five minutes of the main castle. During this period there was rapid change in the size and structure of the college, which expanded to over 300 undergraduates by 1979. Female students were admitted to the college for the first time in 1987; until then it had been single sex. Since this time the college has become fully mixed, with undergraduate numbers expanding to nearly seven hundred. Expansion caused a strain on college numbers, however, and in 2004 the college was unable to provide accommodation for all of its fresher students for the first time in its history. Following the foundation of Josephine Butler in 2006, Durham's first new college to be opened since 1972, pressure from the university to take on additional students lessened, and undergraduate numbers were intentionally reduced in the following years. In line with the wider UK expansion of the higher education sector, the college expanded again in the 2010's, with the opening of a new self catered site in Durham City centre at Kepier Court.

College traditions

College arms

Although it had been in use before this period, the college

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

were officially granted by the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

on 29 May 1912, on the occasion of the eightieth anniversary since the founding of the college by the Bishop of Durham in 1832. The arms are blazoned: ''Azure, a Cross patonce or, between four Lions rampant Argent, on a Chief of the last, the Cross of St Cuthbert Sable, between two Durham Mitres Gules.'' The blue field with the gold cross and four lions are the arms of the Diocese of Durham, the mitres represent the Bishop and St. Cuthbert's cross is included as

Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...

is dedicated to, and is the resting place of St. Cuthbert. Underneath is the motto, in

, ''"Non nobis solum"'', meaning "Not for ourselves alone". It is derived from a sentence quoting

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

's most influential philosophical work, his treatise '' De Officiis (On Duties).''

Grace

Before being served at formal hall, on the Tuesday and Thursday evening of each week during term-time, students recite the following Latin grace, led by a senior member of the JCR. Although the origin of the grace is officially unknown, an almost identical version was in use at the time as a post-prandial grace by

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

''Domine omnipotens, aeterne Deus; qui tam benigne nos pascere hoc tempore dignatus es; largire nobis, ut tibi semper pro tua in nos bonitate ex animo gratias agamus; vitam honeste et pie transigamus; et studia ea sectemur quae gloriam tuam illustrare et ecclesiae tuae adiumenta esse possint; per Christum dominum nostrum. Amen.''

Translated into English, it reads as follows:

Almighty Lord, eternal God; who hast so graciously deigned to feed us at this time; grant to us, that we may ever give Thee heartfelt thanks for Thy goodness to us; that we may pass our lives honourably and piously; and that we may follow such pursuits as can shed light on Thy glory and afford assistance to Thy church; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Buildings and architecture

Construction of Durham Castle began in 1072, which makes it the oldest building in use at any University in the world. The castle retains much of its original design and structure, and is part of a UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

with

. To the east of the courtyard lies the

Keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

. It was re-built in the 1840 by Anthony Salvin, having previously lain in ruins. This area has the largest concentration of students living in the castle. To the south of the courtyard is the Gatehouse, built originally by Hugh de Puiset in the 12th century and re-developed in the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Around this are the college's more modern offices. The college's other buildings are at Moatside Court, Owengate and Bailey Court. The developments at Moatside Court and Bailey Court date from the 1960s and 1970s, whilst Owengate was formed from a series of old houses in the 1950s. Of these, Moatside Court's rooms were of a notoriously poor quality, but were renovated in 2006 at the cost of over £1 million. Moatside now contains a gym and kitchens on every floor.

Great Hall

To the west of the courtyard is the medieval Great Hall, still used as a dining room by students and staff. It was built during the time of Anthony Bek in the 13th century. For two hundred years this was the largest

in Great Britain; however, it was shortened by Richard Foxe. It still stands some 14 m (46 ft) high and 30 m (98 ft) long. The black staircase that leads from the Great Hall to the Senior Common Room dates from 1662, and is another of the older sections of the college still in use. Underneath the Hall is the college bar, located in an 11th-century

undercroft An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and Vault (architecture), vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground (street-level) area whi ...

. Around these are student accommodation, the Lowe Library, and kitchens. The Victorian minstrel's gallery at the southern end of the hall is now used a student study space.

Chapels

The castle's North Range originally contained a dining hall, but this was later divided up to make more luxurious quarters for the Prince Bishop. This area contains the Bishop's Dining Room and Chaplain's Suite, which is currently home to the Senior Common Room, and is also home to the two chapels of the college (University College is one of two colleges in Durham to have two chapels, the other being Hild Bede). The Norman Chapel dates from the 11th century and is the oldest accessible part of the castle, and retains its original Saxon architectural style. The Tunstall Chapel is the larger of the two; it dates from the 15th century and is named after Cuthbert Tunstall. Both chapels are used for worship within the college. College services take place twice a week during term time, lead by the Chaplain, assisted by officers of the chapels (namely, the

Sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretal ...

and Director of Music). Said Eucharist is celebrated on Sundays in the Norman Chapel at 17:00, or in the Tunstall Chapel when sung on various feast days. The college chapel choir is composed of sixteen choral scholars and two organ scholars. Its primary role is to supplement worship, singing weekly evensong on Thursdays and eucharist on certain Sundays. The choir also has extensive extra-collegiate commitments, including singing the grace before certain formals, evensongs in

and tours both in the UK and abroad every summer. The choir has also recorded CD albums, most recently in April 2025 with Convivium Records. The organ in the Tunstall Chapel, a Harrison, takes its case from the lower part of the old 17th-century cathedral organ and is played by the organ scholars in services.

Lowe Library

The Lowe Library is the college's library. It was formed from a bequest from Colonel W.D.Lowe, an officer of the Durham University Officers' Training Corps. He later became a Classics tutor at the university and rowing coach for University College, staying until his death in 1921. The library was opened in 1925, extended into the college's wine cellar in 1997, and now contains over 10,000 books. Spread over three floors, it acts as a support to the central university library, providing access to core textbooks.

Masters

The college is formerly headed by a "Master", since 2020 titled principal, which is the most senior position in the SCR. As the first master of University College, Archdeacon Charles Thorp, also held the post of university warden. Following Thorp's death in 1862 the mastership was created as a separate position. All past Masters have their portrait hanging in the Great Hall or SCR ante-room.

List of Masters

* Charles Thorp 1832–1862 * Joseph Waite 1865–1873 * Herbert Booth 1873–1875 * Alfred Plummer 1875–1902 * Henry Gee 1902–1919 * Henry Ellershaw 1919–1930 * J. H. How 1930–1939 * Angus Macfarlane-Grieve 1939–1954 * Len Slater 1954–1973 * D. W. McDowall 1973–1978 * Edward Salthouse 1979–1998 * Maurice Tucker 1998–2011 * Eva Schumacher-Reid ''(acting)'' 2011 * David Held 2012–2019 * Richard Lawrie ''(acting)'' 2019 *Graham Towl ''(acting)'' 2019 *Wendy Powers 2020–present

Role and activities

University College is the most over-subscribed college at the university; for entry in 2006, there were 2,858 applications for 170 places (approximately 17 applicants for every place). As with all colleges at Durham, students study for degrees with

, not their college, and teaching takes place in academic departments. University College is a "listed body" under the Education Reform Act (1988). Although colleges are largely concerned with welfare, leisure and accommodation, University College has been running the 'Durham Castle Lecture Series' since 2012. Past speakers have included Saskia Sassen,

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (; born 24 February 1942) is an Indian scholar, literary theorist, and feminist critic. She is a University Professor at Columbia University and a founding member of the establishment's Institute for Comparative ...

, Rowan Williams,

Anthony Giddens Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens (born 18 January 1938) is an English sociologist who is known for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies. He is considered to be one of the most prominent modern sociologists and is ...

, Justin Welby, Martin Wolf,

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a ...

and Peter Singer. Within Durham's colleges, there is a strong competitive rivalry. Castle's main rival is Hatfield College, which is Durham's second oldest college, having separated from Castle in the 1850s. The rivalry is maintained by student pranks and tricks and in various intercollegiate sporting events. The college has a commercial arm, taking advantage of the attractive nature of the college's buildings. It hosts corporate events, conferences and weddings during the university vacations. The Castle is open to tourists only via guided tours. These occur daily outside of term time, but are more restricted during the term due to potential conflicts with the running of the college. Furthermore, events in the university timetable may result in their cancellation. Tourists are not otherwise permitted entry to the college or any common areas. There is relatively little conflict between students and tourists, with many of the guided tours done by students themselves.

Formals

Students are expected to wear smart clothes and gowns during Formals, which take place on Thursdays (having previously been on both Tuesdays and Thursdays) in the Great Hall. All those attending the formal must stand when the High Table enters, when grace is being said or sung, and when the Senior Student is bowing out. Complete silence is observed during these periods. Following grace, there is no standing throughout the formal until the Senior Student has bowed out to the Master, a symbol of the official opening or closing of the formal meal.

Student body

Some 700 undergraduates attend Castle, making it slightly smaller than the average Durham college. Of these students, around 100 live in the castle itself, while another 250 are housed in the college's surrounding buildings. It remains the most popular college in Durham for applications, with around 27 students applying for every available place. The undergraduate student body ( Junior Common Room or JCR) is governed by an elected Executive Committee headed by the Senior Student and supported by several other officers. Regular JCR meetings are held to discuss and vote on important issues. There are several other elected non-executive officers such as Returning Officer, Fresher Rep and Sports Captain who organise other important college functions. The Senior Student meets regularly with college and university authorities to represent the JCR. The JCR runs three balls every year for its students, with one held during each term. The largest is the end of year June Ball, which is the social highlight of the academic year. Tradition dictates that its theme remains closely hidden until the doors to the Castle open. The graduate community at Castle forms the Middle Common Room (MCR), which is based in the Maurice Tucker (previously William de St-Calais) Room. However, due to size restrictions, no members of the MCR are currently able to live in the college grounds. The MCR, like the JCR, organises a number of social events and activities, such as the college's entry into the inter-collegiate University Challenge competition, which acts as trials for the university's team. The Senior Common Room (SCR), is an organisation of academics and tutors connected to the college. The SCR also organises formal meals with guest speakers. The student bar of University College is called the Undercroft Bar (known colloquially as The Undie), due to its location in an 11th-century

Undercroft An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and Vault (architecture), vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground (street-level) area whi ...

. It developed from the original Junior Common Room, which opened in the early 1950s. It is currently run by the Food and Beverage Services Manager with the help of several JCR members. In 2018 a new college café replaced the Toastie Bar in the West Courtyard. UCBC2008

Societies

University College JCR also supports many societies run exclusively for Castle students. The most popular societies include University College Boat Club (UCBC), Castle Theatre Company, Mixed Lacrosse, Castle Rugby Club, Castle Football Club, and Castle Hockey Club. There are a number of arts societies within the college. Most notable is Castle Theatre Company, which produces a play each term. These plays are usually performed on the college's grounds, although they sometimes tour nationally. They have also appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Castle Society

The Castle Society was formed in 1947 by Castle Alumni. It was originally named the Durham Castleman's Society. Membership is open to anyone with academic ties to the college, and its aim is to create a wider Castle community beyond its immediate students. The society makes regular donations to the college library, chapel, student bursaries, and various college societies. It has helped fund a number of projects in the college, including the accommodation at Moatside Court and Fellows Garden, as well as the West Courtyard Common Room. The Castle Society produces the annual journal "Castellum", which chronicles life at the Castle and reports on activities of Castle alumni. Since 1990, it has contributed towards the University College Durham Trust, the college's charitable fund.

Notable alumni

Castle alumni are active through organisations and events such as the two annual reunion dinners, which cater for the more than 7,000 living alumni. A number of Castle alumni have made significant contributions in the fields of government, law, science, academia, business, arts, journalism, and athletics, among others. File:Walter Robert Adams.jpg, Walter Adams, Archbishop of Yukon. File:Crispin-blunt-high-res-web.jpg, Crispin Blunt, Conservative MP for Reigate, Surrey. File:Jackie Doyle Price.JPG, Jackie Doyle-Price, Conservative MP for Thurrock. File:Sir Harold Evans 6 Shankbone 2009 NYC.jpg, Sir Harold Evans, journalist and writer who was editor of

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

from 1967 to 1981. File:Mr Justice Goss.png, Sir James Goss, Justice of the High Court. File:Helen Grace in 2003.jpg, Helen Grace, English actress. File:Piers Merchant.jpg, Piers Merchant was a British Conservative Party politician. File:Stephenmortimerwarner.jpg,

Stephen Warner Canon Stephen Warner (17 January 1873 – 29 December 1947) was one of Britain's leading evangelists in the first half of the 20th century and the rector of Holy Trinity, Eastbourne for 28 years. Early life Stephen Mortimer Warner was born in ...

, one of Britain's leading evangelists, and rector of Holy Trinity, Eastbourne. File:James Wharton 2016.jpg, James Wharton, former Conservative MP for Stockton South. File:Teophilus III.jpg, Theophilos III of Jerusalem, current Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem York Minster - RWB Hornby Window

Gallery

File:Durham Castle Bergfried.jpg, The Keep of Durham Castle - where some students are accommodated - as seen from the street. File:Durham Castle Innenhof.jpg, The main entrance to the college from the courtyard. File:Durham Castle from the Cathedral - geograph.org.uk - 1691102.jpg, University College as seen from Durham Cathedral in winter. File:Durham View from Cathedral.JPG, Aerial view of the college. File:Durham Gatehouse.JPG, Durham Gatehouse, the main entrance to the college from Palace Green. File:Owengate, Durham - geograph.org.uk - 1619720.jpg, Houses in Owengate, the oldest of which dates back to the 16th century. They are now used as student accommodation. File:Palace Green Durham Panorama.jpg, Panoramic view of Palace Green, showing Durham Cathedral to the left, the old University Library in centre, and University College and Owengate to the right.