Wills Hall
Encyclopedia
Wills Hall is one of the nine halls of residence in the University of Bristol
. Cresting the Stoke Bishop
site on the edge of the Bristol Downs
, in Parry's Lane, it houses 340 students in two quadrangle
s. The majority of these students are in their first year of study, but a number of students from other years stay on to contribute to hall life through the Junior Common Room or other groups.
, enabled Henry Overton Wills III
to fund the University's foundation in 1908 with a pledge of £100,000 and many of its finest buildings, such as the Wills Memorial Building
. His son George Alfred Wills
provided the money to build a hall of residence in memory of his brother Henry Herbert Wills
. He originally planned to base the hall around Goldney Hall
in Clifton
, next to the existing hall of Clifton Hill House
. However, the warden of the all-female Clifton Hill House felt that having so many young men so close to "her girls" would be a grave moral risk, and demanded that the new hall be sited at least two miles away. Thus Downside House in Stoke Bishop was purchased, and a quadrangle of accommodation blocks erected around it according to the design of Sir George Oatley. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a grade II listed building. A Latin
inscription on the exterior of the dining hall dedicated the hall to Henry Herbert.
Wills Hall was officially opened by Winston Churchill
in 1929, then the Chancellor
of the University. When he returned to open Churchill Hall in the late 1950s, he allowed himself to be "kidnapped" and his release was allowed only after he signed the following statement, now displayed in the Warden's Lodge at Wills:
The initial quadrangle sufficed until rising student numbers precipitated the building of a further accommodation block, 'XYZ', which was opened in 1961. Another expansion in 1990 completed this 'New Quad' as 'UVW' block was built. This new block featured en-suite rooms and a conference centre, in an effort to make Wills more competitive as a venue for the conference market, which was becoming an important source of revenue for cash-strapped universities.
Having initially been an all-male institution, Wills became the last hall to accept both sexes in 1985, despite opposition from the more 'traditionalist' wing of the Wills Hall Association. In that first year, seventy women took up residence alongside 200 men, but over the next few years female numbers quickly rose, and Wills today is equally split between the sexes. However, due to the shared bathroom facilities, staircases in old quad and floors in XYZ blocks are single-sex.
". This Latin
phrase literally means "for our altars and our hearths", but is used by ancient authors to express attachment to all that was most dear and venerable. It could be more idiomatically translated as "for our homes".
There is also a deputy warden.
The Monica Wills Chapel was opened in 1930 and holds a short informal service for students from the Stoke Bishop halls each Sunday morning during term-time. It is occasionally used to stage plays and concerts.
The Wills Hall Association, former members of Wills Hall, has recently presented Wills with an eleven stop two manual pipe organ as a present to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Hall. The organ was built by Peter Collins in 1983 when it was installed in St. Alban's Abbey for the International Organ Festival. It was then moved to the Christian Science Church in Clifton until its closure in 2007. The inaugural recital on the organ was given by David Bednall on 1st November 2008.
Wills Hall has an oak
-panelled dining room, often likened to that of an Oxbridge
college. There are also tennis and squash courts which the Hall shares with the rest of the halls on the Stoke Bishop Site, a croquet lawn, table tennis room, and an oak-panelled snooker room which dates back to the original Downside House. The Wills Hall Ball takes place in June of each year.
Wills Hall is also the only hall in Stoke Bishop to publish its own newsletter, The Executor, which is edited by students in hall and is published several times a year. This itself is the successor to the Wills Hall Loo Sheet, a newsletter which got its name from the fact that it was distributed by being posted in all communal lavatories around the hall.
Former members of Hall can join The Wills Hall Association, which has been running since 1930. The Association holds a large annual reunion in Bristol every summer in July when former members return for a reception on the Warden's lawn followed by dinner in Hall with a guest speaker. On Saturday, 4th July 2009 the guest of honour is Bob Marshall-Andrews QC MP, parliamentarian and wit. The Association organises an annual lecture or recital and a well attended service in the Chapel. The Association also holds a popular reception in London which attracts members who live in London and the South East. The Association produces a Yearbook and a Newsletter for its growing membership which comes from every era of those who enjoyed Wills Hall from the 1930s to the present.
Wills Hall RFC takes part in the Intramural rugby tournament organised by Bristol University AU. The 2006-7 season was one of the worst on record, with Wills Hall RFC not winning a single game. The 2007-8 season, under captains Rhys Beynon-Thomas and Luke Falconer, was much more successful, with a large squad looking to make the play-offs at the end of the season.
applicants, The Observer
ran an article purporting to highlight class-strife and prejudice in Wills. Letters in reply followed the next week vigorously defending Wills.
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
. Cresting the Stoke Bishop
Stoke Bishop
Stoke Bishop is a very affluent and medium-sized outer city suburb in the north-west of Bristol, located in between Westbury-on-Trym, Sneyd Park, and Sea Mills. Although relatively small, Stoke Bishop's population has increased due to substantial infilling on the Smelting Works sports ground and...
site on the edge of the Bristol Downs
The Downs (Bristol)
The Downs are an area of public open limestone downland in Bristol, England. They consist of Durdham Down to the northeast, and the generally more picturesque and visited Clifton Down to the southwest.- Durdham Down:...
, in Parry's Lane, it houses 340 students in two quadrangle
Quadrangle (architecture)
In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...
s. The majority of these students are in their first year of study, but a number of students from other years stay on to contribute to hall life through the Junior Common Room or other groups.
History
The name of Wills Hall reflects the university-wide connection with the Wills family. The fortune made by their famous tobacco empire, W. D. & H. O. Wills and later Imperial TobaccoImperial Tobacco
Imperial Tobacco is a global tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share , and the world's largest producer of cigars, fine-cut tobacco and tobacco papers...
, enabled Henry Overton Wills III
Henry Overton Wills III
Henry Overton Wills redirects here. For Henry Overton Wills I and Henry Overton Wills II see the history of W. D. & H. O. Wills.Henry Overton Wills III was the first Chancellor of the University of Bristol....
to fund the University's foundation in 1908 with a pledge of £100,000 and many of its finest buildings, such as the Wills Memorial Building
Wills Memorial Building
The Wills Memorial Building is a Neo Gothic building designed by Sir George Oatley and built as a memorial to Henry Overton Wills III...
. His son George Alfred Wills
George Alfred Wills
George Alfred Wills was a President of Imperial Tobacco and the head of an eminent Bristol family. He was the son of Henry Overton Wills III and Alice Hopkinson and was educated at Mill Hill School before joining his father’s business, he eventually became the managing director.He was responsible...
provided the money to build a hall of residence in memory of his brother Henry Herbert Wills
Henry Herbert Wills
Henry Herbert Wills was a businessman and philanthropist from Bristol.He was the son of Henry Overton Wills III and Alice Hopkinson and was born in Clifton, Bristol, Gloucestershire. He was educated at Clifton College. He was a member of the board for the Imperial Tobacco Company.His name is...
. He originally planned to base the hall around Goldney Hall
Goldney Hall
Goldney Hall also known as Goldney House is a self-catered hall of residence in Clifton, Bristol, one of three in the area providing accommodation for students at the University of Bristol.-House:...
in Clifton
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
, next to the existing hall of Clifton Hill House
Clifton Hill House
Clifton Hill House is a grade I listed Palladian villa in the Clifton area of Bristol, England which is now used as a hall of residence by the University of Bristol. The warden is Dr...
. However, the warden of the all-female Clifton Hill House felt that having so many young men so close to "her girls" would be a grave moral risk, and demanded that the new hall be sited at least two miles away. Thus Downside House in Stoke Bishop was purchased, and a quadrangle of accommodation blocks erected around it according to the design of Sir George Oatley. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade II listed building. A Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
inscription on the exterior of the dining hall dedicated the hall to Henry Herbert.
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
in 1929, then the Chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of the University. When he returned to open Churchill Hall in the late 1950s, he allowed himself to be "kidnapped" and his release was allowed only after he signed the following statement, now displayed in the Warden's Lodge at Wills:
- "I Winston Spencer Churchill MP, CH Chancellor of the University of Bristol, Declare there be no Finer Hostel than Wills Hall among the Universities of the British EmpireBritish EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
".
The initial quadrangle sufficed until rising student numbers precipitated the building of a further accommodation block, 'XYZ', which was opened in 1961. Another expansion in 1990 completed this 'New Quad' as 'UVW' block was built. This new block featured en-suite rooms and a conference centre, in an effort to make Wills more competitive as a venue for the conference market, which was becoming an important source of revenue for cash-strapped universities.
Having initially been an all-male institution, Wills became the last hall to accept both sexes in 1985, despite opposition from the more 'traditionalist' wing of the Wills Hall Association. In that first year, seventy women took up residence alongside 200 men, but over the next few years female numbers quickly rose, and Wills today is equally split between the sexes. However, due to the shared bathroom facilities, staircases in old quad and floors in XYZ blocks are single-sex.
Motto
Over the main entrance to Wills Hall can be seen a shield emblazoned with the Wills family crest and their motto "Pro Aris et FocisPro Aris et Focis
Pro Aris et Focis is a Latin phrase used as the motto of many families and military regiments, as well as being one of the mottoes of Bristol University....
". This Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
phrase literally means "for our altars and our hearths", but is used by ancient authors to express attachment to all that was most dear and venerable. It could be more idiomatically translated as "for our homes".
Warden and Deputy Warden
The Warden of Wills Hall is Professor Julian Rivers, Professor of Jurisprudence in the School of Law. Professor Rivers is a leading expert in the field of legal and constitutional theory, with a particular research interest in the interplay between law and religion.There is also a deputy warden.
Facilities
Wills Hall has an oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
-panelled dining room, often likened to that of an Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
college. There are also tennis and squash courts which the Hall shares with the rest of the halls on the Stoke Bishop Site, a croquet lawn, table tennis room, and an oak-panelled snooker room which dates back to the original Downside House. The Wills Hall Ball takes place in June of each year.
JCR
A major part of Hall life for all students is the Junior Common Room, the president of which is currently Tony Uong.Societies
The Hall has a theatrical society, the Wills Hall Amateur Theatrical Society (WHATS) which performs musicals, plays and variety shows for the students.Wills Hall is also the only hall in Stoke Bishop to publish its own newsletter, The Executor, which is edited by students in hall and is published several times a year. This itself is the successor to the Wills Hall Loo Sheet, a newsletter which got its name from the fact that it was distributed by being posted in all communal lavatories around the hall.
Former members of Hall can join The Wills Hall Association, which has been running since 1930. The Association holds a large annual reunion in Bristol every summer in July when former members return for a reception on the Warden's lawn followed by dinner in Hall with a guest speaker. On Saturday, 4th July 2009 the guest of honour is Bob Marshall-Andrews QC MP, parliamentarian and wit. The Association organises an annual lecture or recital and a well attended service in the Chapel. The Association also holds a popular reception in London which attracts members who live in London and the South East. The Association produces a Yearbook and a Newsletter for its growing membership which comes from every era of those who enjoyed Wills Hall from the 1930s to the present.
Wills Hall RFC takes part in the Intramural rugby tournament organised by Bristol University AU. The 2006-7 season was one of the worst on record, with Wills Hall RFC not winning a single game. The 2007-8 season, under captains Rhys Beynon-Thomas and Luke Falconer, was much more successful, with a large squad looking to make the play-offs at the end of the season.
Wills Hall and classism
In 2003, as part of the national controversy surrounding claims that British universities were discriminating in favour of public schoolPublic School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
applicants, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
ran an article purporting to highlight class-strife and prejudice in Wills. Letters in reply followed the next week vigorously defending Wills.
Mini incident
In 2008 a Harrow educated undergraduate at Wills Hall crashed a relatively new Mini Cooper in the grounds of the hall, while intoxicated.Notable former students
- James BluntJames BluntJames Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
, musician - Stephen WilliamsStephen Williams (politician)Stephen Roy Williams is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Bristol West in the 2005 general election, being re-elected with an increased majority in May 2010...
M.P.Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(Liberal DemocratsLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
) - Derren BrownDerren BrownDerren Victor Brown is a British illusionist, mentalist, painter, writer and sceptic. He is known for his appearances in television specials, stage productions and British television series such as Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat...
, famous illusionist - Bob Marshall-AndrewsBob Marshall-AndrewsRobert Graham Marshall-Andrews QC is a British Labour Party politician and barrister, who was the Member of Parliament for Medway from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
Q.C., M.P.Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, (LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) - Sir Liam DonaldsonLiam DonaldsonSir Liam Joseph Donaldson was the Chief Medical Officer for England, the 15th occupant of the post since it was established in 1855...
, Chief Medical Officer for England - The Lord Chilver of Cranfield FRS, Engineer and former Vice-Chancellor
- Professor David Rhind FRS, FBA, Geographer, Non-Executive Director Bank of England and former Vice-Chancellor.