Oxford University Adds to Estate With £12m Victorian Building

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• Oxford University Adds to Estate With £12m Victorian Building

25 September 2023

St Hilda’s College, part of Oxford University, has purchased 14-16 Norham Gardens to house postgraduates and visiting international students.

The building is on a 0.6-acre site and provides over 1,600 square metres of space. It was also home to social reformer Violet Butler from 1884 to 1959.

Financed by St Hilda’s College’s endowment funds, the £12 million purchase will provide 13 ensuite student bedrooms for graduates and visiting students. That number is expected to rise to around 45 by early 2024, with plans for a £0.5 million refit converting offices, catering areas, and some of the communal space to more bedrooms. 

In 2022, the university purchased two other central Oxford properties, 11 Norham Gardens and 38 St Giles at a combined cost of £18 million. This allowed the college to offer accommodation to all undergraduates for the duration of their studies for the first time in living memory.

The College Bursar, Chris Wood, said: “This is a tremendous step forward in our plans to offer a unique and enjoyable experience for visiting students as well as extending the volume of accommodation available for our postgraduates.”

The College Principal, Dame Professor Sarah Springman, said: “I congratulate our team for their hard work on this project. Not only does this acquisition provide St Hilda’s College with additional bedrooms for our students, it gives us a valuable hub in the very centre of Oxford.”

Picture: a photograph of 14-16 Norham Gardens from the front. Image Credit: Oxford University

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 25 September 2023

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