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'Greyfriars' is one of the smallest constituent Halls of the University of Oxford in England. It is situated on the Iffley Road in East Oxford. Its status as a Permanent Private Hall (or PPH) refers to the fact that it is governed by an outside institution (the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, a Franciscan Order), rather than by its fellows as a College is.

Contents

History

Friary and Tuition

Student Life

Famous Former Students

Academics/Teachers

References

External link

History

The original Greyfriars church and friary was founded by the Franciscans in 1224, but was suppressed during the Reformation in the sixteenth century. Some time later, the Capuchin branch of the Order established a friary, known as St Anselm's, which was recognised by the University as a House of Studies in 1910. In 1919, the Friars moved to the current site on the Iffley Road - first naming it Grosseteste House after the first Head of the original Greyfriars - and on completion of the present building in 1930, the name of Greyfriars was adopted once more. The status of Permanent Private Hall was finally conferred upon Greyfriars by the University in 1957.
Greyfriars has undoubtedly one of the most distinctive buildings in Oxford; it is the only flint-stone Norman-style building in the city, and its green spire is notably visible along the Iffley Road and from the University's famous sports ground.

Friary and Tuition

Greyfriars occupies a unique position in Oxford, in that its University Hall and Franciscan friary are part of the same institution and coexist on the same site - however, the friars are not usually members of the academic hall (though this is not without exception), nor are the students actually affiliated to the friary (the two groups do, however, mingle, most notably at mealtimes). Furthermore, no religious restrictions are placed on applicants; and, while the Hall has a tradition of noted Theology academics, a wide range of disciplines are studied by students - the most common being English, History, Theology, Geography and Law. While the Hall does employ tutors specialising in certain areas of some of these subjects, students generally go to other colleges for the majority of their tutorials. The College most closely linked with the Hall is Balliol, due to a long-standing tradition of sporting links, but Greyfriars students have been known to be tutored at a wide number of the University's colleges at some point or another.

Student Life

While Greyfriars is small in terms of grounds and numbers, it boasts a closely-knit community and a lively academic life. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, undergraduate numbers tended to be around the 30 mark, with an average of between nine and eleven students per year in addition to a handful of visiting and postgraduate students. Since around 2003, numbers have swelled markedly, and the current student population of the Hall numbers closer to 50.
The Hall annually holds a popular summer garden party, and a "bop" that has been dubbed 'The Monastery of Sound' in tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the friars. Greyfriars is also influential in the prestigious Oxford Law Society, the Conservative Association, the Dramatic Society, and the Indie Music Society, not to mention rowing, hockey, rugby, tennis and table tennis. Its increasing prominence is very much disproportionate to student numbers, which is testament to their eagerness to get involved in University life.
As with all Oxford colleges, Greyfriars' student community is a JCR, run by an annually-elected committee usually consisting of a President, Secretary, Treasurer and various other Officers as necessary. The current JCR President is Jonathon Hamill.

Famous Former Students

★ Roger Bacon

★ Robert Grosseteste

★ John Duns Scotus

★ Adam Marsh

★ William of Occam

Academics/Teachers

★ Thomas Weinandy

★ M.C. Steenberg

References

External link

★ Greyfriars website