University of London College Hall

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0096 UoL/CH
Held at	: Senate House Library, University of London   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://www.senatehouselibrary.ac.uk/our-collections ›
Full title	: University of London College Hall
Date(s)	: 1827-1996
Level of description	: Sub-Fonds of University of London Archive View parent record
Extent	: 30 boxes, 1 large box, 1 roll and 1 envelope
Name of creator(s)	: University of London | College Hall
Detailed catalogue	: Click here to view repository detailed catalogue

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

College Hall was opened in 1882 in Byng Place to provide accommodation for the rising numbers of female students at the University of London in general and University College London in particular. Classes were open to women at University College from 1870 and at the London School of Medicine for Women from 1874. Among the eminent founders of College Hall were: Miss Leigh Brown, Sir Edward and Lady Busk, Professor Carey Foster, Professor Alfred J. Church, Miss Eleanor Grove, Lady Lockyer, Professor Henry Morley, Miss Anna Swanwick and Mrs. Stephen Winkworth. The hall at first occupied one house on Byng Place but later grew to occupy three which the residents affectionately named, `Byng'.
The success of the hall led to the granting of its incorporation in 1886 under the title College Hall London. It was recognised as a Hall of Residence for Women Students by the Senate of the University of London in 1910 (S.M. 3045 of 15, June 1910). 400 students had resided in the Hall between 1882 and 1912 including 160 from the Slade School of Art. The aims of the Hall in 1912, were to provide accommodation for women undertaking serious academic work.
Hardship funds and were also available in 1912 for `ailing residents', as well as scholarships and exhibitions. The money to support these funds came from a number of charitable trusts set up through bequests. There was also a `Country Cottage' - a weekend retreat. The Council in 1913 comprised the provost of University College and W.P Kerr, Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London from 1889.
By 1912 it was necessary to rebuild the hall. Initial funding for the hall had come from the founders and their friends. In 1912, it is recorded that no grant had been received from the General Maintenance Fund of the University of London. The buildings at that date were held on a sub-lease from the Coward Trustees who were then tenants of the Bedford Estate. Both the sub-lease of College Hall and the main lease held by Coward Trustees terminated in June 1923. With this in mind, the Council secured an option to purchase the site for £7,500 and from Coward Trustees, an option to purchase the rest of the lease for £3,195. The money was secured for the freehold of the site, in large part due to a bequest from the first Vice-Principal, Miss Morrison. A studio, library, dining-room, common-rooms and a gymnasium were intended for inclusion in the project. Funds, however, were not available for the improvements needed to the buildings.
In 1931, however, it was recognised that the Byng Place site was insufficiently large for the proposed plans for a new hall. The Council therefore acquired from the Duke of Bedford, a 99 years' building lease on a site in Malet Street. £35,000 was sought for the construction of the new hall, after the sale of Byng Place. The new hall opened on Malet Street in 1932. College Hall also owned premises on Gower Street that were leased to other institutions (including the Ministry of Works in January 1941). College Hall was leased to the Victoria League on 12 December 1939 for use as the King George and Queen Elizabeth Club for men from armed forces oversees. However, the building sustained serious damage from enemy air attack on the night of 17 April 1941. 20-30 lives were lost and the building was rendered uninhabitable. College Hall's status as a company ceased as of 1 August 1965. From that date, the Senate of the University of London assumed responsibility for the running of the hall while the Court of the University took over its assets and liabilities (reference: SM 5191 of 14 July 1965).
In December 1965, it was agreed that the Charitable Trusts of College Hall be transferred to the Collegiate Council of the University (reference: SM 1887 of 15 December 1965 and SM 5928 of 19 July 1967) (see Appendix 1 for a list of charitable trust associated with College Hall). The Court made an interim grant of £34,736 available for the acquisition of College Hall in 1966 (reference: SM 4982 of 15 June 1966). The Court made further grants of £51,180, £77,250 and £6883 available for the rehabilitation of College Hall following its transfer to the University (reference: SM 877 of 19 October 1966, SM 2072 of 14 December 1966 and SM 2524 of 25 January 1967). Today, College Hall provides accommodation for 250 women students in 115 single and 66 double study-bedrooms.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Papers created by College Hall, 1827-1996, comprising: CH 1: Minutes, 1882-1989; CH 2: Annual Reports, 1883-1965; CH 3: Reports, 1911-1965; CH 4: College Hall Old Students Association, 1897-1982; CH 5: Constitution Papers, 1886-1965; CH 6: Case-files, 1900-1996; CH 7: Deeds and Leases, 1827-1942; CH 8: Printed Items, 1890-1954, 1994; CH 9: Plans and Maps, 1931-1970; CH 10: Photographs, 1877-1952.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

Sub-fonds has been sorted by type of record.

Conditions governing access:

Open except for records exempt under the Data Protection Act or the Freedom of Information Act. Access to the records for the purposes of private study and personal research is possible within the controlled environment and restrictions of the Library's Palaeography Room. Access to archive collections may be restricted under the Freedom of Information Act. Please contact the University Archivist for details.

Conditions governing reproduction:

The University of London is the owner of the copyright of items that were created by its representatives in the course of university business. As the successor to the governing bodies that formerly administered College Hall, it also assumes ownership of copyright on records that were created by these bodies in the pursuit of the administration of College Hall. Copyright of items that are judged to have been created by representatives of the College Hall Old Students Association in the course of the Association's activities is held by the existing representatives of the Association. Copyright of items in this collection that were not created by representatives of the University of London, College Hall or the College Hall Old Students Association is held by the individuals or the organisations that created the item and their heirs or successors. The University of London Library reserves the right to assess any proposals to publish items from this collection and to charge a reproduction fee. All proposals for publication should be made to the Archivist, Special Collections, University of London Library, Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU.

Finding aids:

Catalogue of College Hall Archive by Michael Broadway, 2006

Archival Information

Archival history:

The ownership of the College Hall archive transferred to the University of London at the same time as the ownership of the hall itself. It was not until 1998, however, that the archive was transferred to the University of London Library with the agreement of the Bursar (Deirdre Crudon), the Director of Staff and Student Services Division of the University of London (Dr. Dennis Buckley), the University Archivist (Ruth Vyse) and the College Hall Old Students Association (secretary: Tina Jacobs).

Immediate source of acquisition:

Transferred from College Hall

Allied Materials

Related material:

Since the University's recognition of the Hall in 1910, reference is made to it in a number of files and printed minutes held in the University of London Archive. The two most useful sub-classes are the regular correspondence files, listed in the Central File class, that deal with halls of residence between 1914 and 1932 and the Minutes of the Senate from 1910 until the present. These records are all a product of the central University administration at Senate House and have not been transferred from College Hall. The most significant items are listed below: Collegiate Council - CC 3/1 Student Accommodation Committee minutes and appendices 1969-1974 (1 binder) CC 3/2 Halls of Residence Committee, minutes and appendices, 1955-1974 (2 binders, 1 envelope, 1 bundle) Central File: University Correspondence, 1900-39- CF 1/14/2426 University correspondence file on College Hall, 1913-1914 (1 file) comprises list of rules and members of the Council, and a leaflet explaining the purchase of the site and re-Building CF 1/15/2426 University correspondence file on Hostels, 1914-15 (1 file) CF 1/19/2426 University correspondence file on Hostels, 1918-19 (1 file) CF 1/22/2426 University correspondence file on Hostels, 1921-22 (1 file) CF 1/23/2426 University correspondence file on Hostels, 1922-23 (1 file) CF 1/25/2426 University correspondence file on Hostels (College Hall; Crosby Hall), 1924-25 (1 file) CF 1/26/2426 University correspondence file on Hostels, 1925-26 (1file) CF 1/27/2426 University correspondence file on Hostels, 1926-27 (1 file) CF 1/28/2426 University correspondence file on Hostels, 1927-28 (1 file)CF 1/31/2426 University correspondence file on Hostels (Conaught, Crosby Hall, College Hall, Dominions Hostel, Ealing Hall), 1930-31 (1 file) CF 1/32/2426 University correspondence file on Hostels (African students; College Hall; Dominion Students' Hall Trust; Sir Patrick Geddes), 1931-32 (1 file) Senate- ST 2/2/1-130 Senate Meeting Minutes, unsigned, 1879-1989 (130 volumes): particularly: ST 2//2/26 Senate Meeting Minutes and Reports 2946, 2947, 3043, 3044, 3045 of 15 June 1910. ST 2/2/26 Senate Meeting Minute and Report, 127 of 19 October 1910. ST 2/2/97, 99, 101 Senate Meeting Minutes relating to the transfer of ownership of College Hall to the University of London between 1964 and 1967. For more information on these files please consult the hardcopy catalogue available in the Palaeography Room, SHL.

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:
Entry compiled by Michael Broadway.

Rules or conventions:
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
Aug 2006